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V 







\V. C. KING & CO., Publishers, 

Springfield, Mass. 

1887, 




Copyright, 1886, by 
Will. C. Kinq, Springfield, IVEass. 



ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 




THE VIGKSBURG DAILY CITIZEN. 



• Vol.. IX. K' 



VICKSBURCi.MlSS. 



Pricu K'.oo Per Yeak. 



The Daily Citizen. 



J. n. s^roRDs. 



Proprietor. 



whether such prices have been pnid,nnd 
whom; and it io, let a brand not imly I 
placed upon their brow, but let it be sta 



. ^-Mrs. Cisco WHS instantly killed I 
■MoDday, on Jactoon Road. Mrs. Ci8C( 
hasband is now in Virginia '^-- 



frienda that if it ia rendered neccBsary.lhey 
need have no scruples st eating the meat. 
It ia aweet, savory and tender, and go long 



^^Grant's forcea did a little flnng on 
Tutaday afternoon, but tlie balance of thut 
day was comparatively quiet. Yeaterday 
Enorning they were very Btillj and con- 
tinued BO until early in the afternoon, 
when they sprung a mine on th« left of our 

•oroe distance. Wchare not been able to 
•sceitain anything definitely as to -our loss, 
but ai ofBcera were on the lookout for this 
tnoveoftti 
Yaokeea t 



r.the 



i by a great deal. 



^^Jerry Askew, one of oar most es 
teemed merchant citizens, wna wounded 
at the works in the rear of our city a few 
liaya since, and breathed his lasb on MoU' 
day. Mr. Askew wns a young uianof slricl 
integrity, great industry, and an honor tti 
bis family and friends. He was ^membci 
of Cowan'sarfillcry, and by th 
charge of his duties and his obli 



di.B- 






ufidei 



ind. May the blow lii 
family haveaustaincd be mitigated by Hid 
Vho doetb all things wclL 

^^Among many gnod deedi WO hcn 
■pokcn of with pride by our cirfzcns, w. 
cannot refrain from mcntioniug the*cae< 
of Mr. P. Kiser. This gentlcmun, bavin; 
Biorccorn than he thought was nccessar; 
|o last him duringlhe siege of this place 



portioned 
bi;L'r inter 



uld do him for the 



families free of charge. May he live long 
and prosper, and his name be handed down 
to posterity when the siege of Vicksburg 



^?~Porter is enjo;, ing a season of r^sl, 

(orhiEi kind consideration for Iheirwelfurc. 
Oo Tuesday he fired a few shells from his 
Parrors, and kept his men tolerably busy 
•harp-shooting across the river, with no 
other result than might be expected. The 
inorlars have not been used for nearly 
might as well 



the reward such a gaaconiidiug dolt 
meet at the hands of the unapprccia 
poTcrDiuent at Wasliingtoo. 



pLtEDT.-CoL. Gn 



gularly unfortnnntc. lie has lost many 
gallant men whose valor and worth the 
•icge has fully developed, nnd whose death 
la a great public calamity. Licut.-Col, 
Griffin, commanding the 31st Louisiana 
regiment, waskilled on Saturday. He was 
a popular and efficient officer. Gifted by 



by his r 
his con( 
pood w 



len. May the soft south 

'ilight dewa fall gently 
j-drop, and moisten bis 



^f*It tflTght would appeal to the hVnrt 
4>f atone of .the extortioner with success, 
the present necessities of our citizens 
would do so. It is needless to attempt to 
disguisefromtliecncuiy or our own people 
thot our wants are great; but still we can 
conscientiously nsserl our belief Ihnt there 
ia plenty within our lines, by nn exercise 



kreadstuds secreted, and are dolin<^ it out 
at the most cxorbiumt figures to thow whr 
had not the forrxight or means at theii 
cnmmund to provide for the exigency now 
upiiii us. A rumor has reached us that par- 
lies in ourcity have been and are now.sell- 
SnS *lo"'" at f*^" dolliirapcr pound— mol as- 
■ - 1 dollars per sallon, aud com al 



1 doltai 



yvt prr 



per 



OooD News.— Tn devoting a large por- 

intelligence, copied from the Memphis 
bulletin of the SGth, it should be remem- 
bered that the news, in the original truth, 
is whitewashed by the Federal Trovoat 
Marshal, who desires to hoodwink the 
poor northern white slaves. The former 
editors of the Bulletin being rather pro- 
Southern men, were arrested for speaking 

:eedom, and placed in the chain gang 
ing at Warreutou, where they now 
This paper at present is in duress, and 
edited by a pink-nosed, slab-sided, toad- 
" Yankee, who iaa lineal descendant 
of J udaa hcariot, and a brother gcrmaia of 
the greatest Puritanical, sycophantic, 



Robert E. Lee has given Hooker, Slilroy & 
Co.oneof the best and soundest whippings 
on record, and that the "galorious Union" 
)• SQvr exceedingly weak ta the kaeca. 



SEN. ROBERT E. LEE 1161111. 
Again we have reliable news from the 
gallant corps of Geo. Lee in Virginia. 
Elutcd with success, encouraged by a sc rice 
of brilliant victories, marching to and 
crossing the Rappahannock, defeating 
Jlooker-e right w.nc ai 
the 

from Winchester and capturing 6,000 of 
his men and & large amount of valuable 
stores of all dcBcriptions,rc-cntcring Mary- 
land, holding Uagerstown. threatening 
Washington city, and within a few miles 
of llatlimorc — onward and upward their 
war-cry— our brave men under Leo are 
striking terror to the heart of all Yankcc- 



leftai 



ands 



rdya 



ling 



il independence, 
ght and honor. Tn-day the mongrel ad- 
ministration of Lincoln, like Japhct.are in 
search of a father, for their old Abe has 
departed for parts unknown. Terror 
reigns in their halls. Lee is to the left of 
them, to the right of them, ia front of 
them, and all around them, and daily do 
we expect to hear of his being down on 
them. Never were the French in Algeria 
more put out by the mobile raids of Ab Del 
Kadir, than ore the Federals of Maryland, 
Washington City, Pennsylvania and Ohio, 
by the mercurial movements of Lee's cav. 
airy. Like Paddy's flt-a are they to the 
Federals — now they have got them and 
now they haven't. The omnipresence of 
our troops, and they, throwing dust in the 
cyca, or ra'licr on the hecla of the panic- 
stricken Federals in Maryland and Penn- 
sylvania, clearly prove that Lee just now 
is. the right man in the right place. 

.We lay before our readers in this Issue 
an accountof Leo's brilliant and Bucceesful 
onslaught upi 



1 from their 



rd.how 



■airy ha 



ihcd 



gallant boys of 0' 

their swords to the hill with their vauni 
ing foe, and now each musket of our ii 
fantry has told its fatal leaden lule. 

To-dny Maryland is our«, to-morro' 
Pennsylvania will be, and the next dn 
idway, like Mohammed 



coffin 



I 1 Ood 



|5r*We have heretofore refrained from 
Iluding to a matter which has been a 
nurce of extreme anno/ance and loss to 
ur citizens. We refer to the lax discipline 
f some of our company officers in ollow- 
ng ihcir men to prowl around, day and 
lightjond purloin fruit, vegetables, chick- 



:. from 



rdeniz 



jorily of cases,from those whose chief s 
;islcncc is derived therefrom. Thiaclia 
3 not confined solely to those at the wor 
lUt is equally, if not mainly, attributa 

cnowlcdgc wherein the oflenders have 
ipcQ daylight, ^entered pre 



cattle and other thini 



We 



lilt an esteemed i 
I'm. Portcrfield, was undc 
I protecting his properly, 
f two soldiers and deprivt 
fe. We fully appreciate Ih 



ui.j., 



d defied the own- 
Vicksburg, 



aud 



ed ; but upon inquiry ii 
utingtothcwelfarcofl 



sity, 
other of hi! 

hoscgallani 
limb for the 



.illn 



of tl.. 



2 his good nfliii 

li'tt B'sUief, s 



OkUit.— That the great Ulysses— the 
'aokee Generalissimo, surnam<;d Grant — 
ns expressed his intention of dining in 
icksburg on Saturday next, and celebrat- 

; the 4th of July by a grand dinner, and 



HRKEE JIEWS FROH ALL POINn. 
iLADELPBiA, June 21, 3:30 a. m,— 
The following is all the newa of intertst 
in the Washington Btar: 

Major Brazull, of tlie United States vol- 
unteers, received intelligence from Fay- 
ette county, Pa., this morning, that the 
rebels in heavy force were advancing on 
Pittsburgh, via the National road leading 
from Cumberland acroaa the Alleghany 
filouuUins. Their pickets had reached 
GranUville, Md., thirty-eight miles from 
Uoiouto\¥a, Fayette county Pa., on 
Wednesday evening last. 

It is reported in Washington to-day that 
two members of Hooker's stall were gob- 
bled up by guerillas last ni^ht in the vi- 
cinity of Fairfax. 

Harhisboro, June 20.— Operations 

portion of a N. Y, cavalry regiment, cap- 
turing twenty rebel prisoners at McCoa- 
nebburg, in Fulton county. 

Col. Lawrence, with a portion of the 
127lh Pa. regiment (mounted), captured 
a sqund of rebels who wero marauding on 

We hold Chambcrsburg.and the citizens 



ceived here late tlvia evening, states that a 
rebel cav-ilry foree is within eight miles of 
Gettysburg. 

New Yorx, Jnne 2i;— A Harrisburg 
dispatch to-night contaiiks the following:: 
■'The rebels are reported 40,000 strong at 
Hagerslown and fortifying." 

A Herald's special from Monocacy Sta- 
tion, Md., theSlst, saye: About4 o'clock 
p.m. , Major Cole, of the Ist Maryland cav- 
airy, made a gallant dash into Frederick, 



side. Our cavalry passed through the city, 
and immediately after abput fifteen hun- 
dred rebel oavalry re-occupied the town. 
The rebel cavalry entered Frcdcricli 
about S o'clock and dashed furiously 
through the city, capturing nine of our 
men al the signal station, and paroled Iha 
invalid soldiers, numbering about sixty, 
in the hospital. A number of horses were 
seized, secession flags were displayed at 
the Central Hotel, ond some citizens col- 
lected there to welcome the rebels. A nia- 
jority of the population evinced no plei 



tthe 



The 



:ed- 



,ud foi 



J the city. 



ch had ordered that the place be held 
liefurtificationa opposite this city are 
>hed and ars considered impregnable, 
he rebels arc known to be 8,000 strong 
lagL-ratown and Williamsport 
he rebels hold the north bank of the 
omnc river, from Cumberland to Har- 
3 Ferry. Gen. Kellcy drove them out 
Jumbcrland, and when they left they 



It is thought Gen. Rhodes is opposite 
Willinmsport with 20,000 men. The rebel 
Gen. Imbodcn is reported as advancing, 
but this is considered doubtful. 

F.nEDKiticK, Md.. June 20.— The ene- 
my's caviilry left Doonsboro last evening, 
after capturing a number of horses, and 

Six thousand infantry are reported tc 
have crossed ot Williamaport./ It ia not be- 
lieved that they will visit Frederick. 

The enemy baa nearly fl,000 infantry thi! 
side of the Potomac, under Gen. Rhodes. 
Two regiments of infantry and a squad of 
cavalry are at Sharpsburg, and the rcu " 
dcr are encamped between Williamsport 
and llagerstown. No artillery has been 
any troops crossed 



stationed at Charleslown. Lee's army is 
not known to be within supporting dis- 
tance of Ewcll, and it is very probable that 
the force now in Maryland will not pene- 
trate further north. The cavalry force 
numbers about I.SOO, under Jenkins. . 

The party which first advanced upon 
Orccncostlesnd Chunbcraburg numbered 
only 6.10.. 

WAaBmGTos,.Tune 23.— The Richmond 
Dispatch of thcSlstconUins the following: 
Dispatches received yesterday from Sa- 



oaha 



nfedci 



c the capture by tl 
' i-clnd E 



rFin- 



iiiniandcd by Capt. Webb, of - 



t.ickcd and captured after an action of 
thirty minutes, by two Federal ironclads, 
Richmond papers of the SOth say the city 
of Darien, Ga., was burned by the Feder- 
als on the nth inet., and ia now one phiiu 
of ashes and blackened c1)imneys. Seven 
Fcdcr;iIironcladswcreat Brunswick, Git, 
and largo forces had Undeil from trans- 
ports. Vallandigham lias run the block- 
ade from Wilmiiigtou.' He is going 



Wa 



nd thence to Canada. 
«21.- 



L Harrisburg, 
rn.. oispntcn to tite Herald states thut 
Jenkins pussed through Greencastla last 
evening with 700 mouMied infantry, in the 
direction of Waynesboro. The rebels arc 
reported to have sixteen pieces of artillery 
with thtir largo force.' They occupy the 
south blink of the Potomac, between Cum- 
lierhiid aud Harper's Ferry. Rhodes has 
22,000 men at Williuinsport, 

The opinion in official circles at Harris- 
bnrg is that the rebels have serious designs 
on Baltimore, Tlieir movements indicate 
this, and fears are entcrtaind for the safety 
e liuTidrcd rebel cavalry 



.rg di.pul 



-.1 pla. 



the 



0, Juuc -L— A dit-paUb r 



ngly expressive in their dcmonstrationa 
of disgust, and showered words of sympa- 
thy upon our prisoners U tbej passed 
through the town. 

The rebels are reported to be fortifying 
It South Mountain. They have in the vi- 
cinity of Williamsport about aix thousand 
nfantry, one thousand cavalry, and a fcvr 
pieces of artillery. A squadron of cavalry 
could undoubtedly capture the entire 
force this aide of South Mountain^ 



^"Mid the din and closh of arma. tha- 
Creech of shells and whistle of bullets, 
Hiich arc a continual feature in the status 
elcaguered city,incidentsof happi- 



oftei 



vary II 



c evening: 
nirth and 



phases . 

of the 30tl»ult., with gaycty, i 
good-feeling, at a prominent hospital of 
this city, through the ministerial ofScea oC 
a chaplain of a gallant regiment. Charles 
Royal, Princeltnperiiilof Ethiopia, of tha 
Berbcrigo family, espoused the lovely and 
accomplished Rosa Glass, Arch Duchess 
of Seoegambia, one of the most celebrated 
Princessea of t]ie Laundressima Rcgima. 
The affair wne conducted with great mng- 

times,tbeaabler element wna predominant. 
The foe may hurl their deadly LoU» 

And think wcarca'fr-ghted. 
Well may wo- scorn them— silly dolts — 

Our Blacks are now united. 



Vktivized. — We learned of an In- 
atoncfl wherein a "knight of the quill" and 

in their hearts and vengeance in their eyes, 
rutlilessly put a period to the existence of 
ble feline, that has for tim 



be expected of him, to the 
dry vermin in his neighborhood. Poor de- 
funct Thomas was then prepared, not for 
the grave but the pot, end several friends 
invited to partake of a nice rabbit, Asa 
matter of course no one would wound the 
feelings of another, especially in these 
limes, by refusing a cordial invitation to 
dinner, and the guests assisted in consum- 
ing the poor animal with a relish that did 
honor to thcirepicurean tastes. The "sold" 
a»surc us that meat was dclicious,and that 
pussy must look out for licr safety. 



, ^~The Federal! Genera! McClci 
until recently outside the rear of ou 
has been superseded. He and Grant 



indOn 



t haa all his 






^-Thc Yanks outside our city are cot 
siderubly on the sick list. Fever, dysei 
tery and disgust arc their companions,au 
Grant IS their muster. , The boys are d( 
BcrtTng daily, and are Crossing the river i 
the region of Warrentoo,cur!<ingOrantaii 
abolitionists generally. The boys ar 
down upon the eartji -delving, the burrow 
ing, the bad water and the hot weutbci 



if WusI 



-ThcNationallntcIiif 
n has closed its long < 



1 a suspension and a sale of its effects at 
uction. It has been highly respectable 
nd very mischievous in its day and gene* 
ition. An old Uuiou prop falls with it. 
t we had t^le writing of ita epitapti 
'c. should say, "Old Grimes is dcad."^ 



oft 

jurg. Gen. Grunt bus ■'cuu;;htthcrul) 
le has diiie^l iu Vicksburg, and l>< 
jniifihisdinnerwithhim. Thc"Cit 
ivcs to see it. For the lust tiiue it ap 
>u "Willi pnpcr." No more will it eul 
heluxury of mule-mcntund fricassee 



the types n 

mil be ViituuliU JKrcafur u 




Ill {Memory of 

OUR FALLEN HEROES 

and to 
OUR HONORED VETERANS 

This Volume is Gratefully TDedicated. 





PRKKACK. 




§N sending forth this volume, the editors do so believing 
that it will be welcomed by the heroes of the great struggle 
\j^ and also find a place in the hearts of the people who cherish 
the memory of the noble deeds and heroism of the brave 
hearts who left father and mother, wife and daughter, brother 
and sister, home and friends, for their country, thousands of 
whom to-day are peacefully sleeping in the "City of the Silent," 
where no earthly "bugle call" disturbs their slumber. 

Other war books have preceded this, but they have been for 
the most part purely historical and statistical, or the experiences 
and observations of a single individual, thus portraying but a 
glimpse of the most gigantic, thrilling, and bloody drama of the 
nineteenth century. 

The actual facts and experience concerning such a colossal 
and terrific strife can in no way be so accurately and truthfully 
ascertained as by and through the unbiased testimony of the 
actors themselves. 

Neither time, pains, nor expense has been spared in gathering 
the material for this volume, and it comes fresh from the heart 
and pen of more than three hundred veteran soldiers of the rank 
and file, both North and South. 

The work is not confined wholly to the achievements of cannon, 

musket, and sword, but records many of the countless incidents 

and experiences prominent in soldier life, which are not only 

exceedingly entertaining, but decidedly instructive. 

(6) 



PREFACE. 7 

These venerable and heroic men, who, in full vigor of man- 
hood, marched to the cannon's mouth, are now rapidly falling 
from the ranks, and their burning words will be treasured in 
memory's bosom, by a grateful nation, which is justly proud of 
the bravery, heroism, and sacrifices so freely contributed to save 
the Union. 

A war, so gigantic, continuing through four long, weary 
years, so costly in blood and treasure, reaching with its sore 
bereavement into the peaceful quietude of almost every home 
circle of our land, attaches to this volume an individual and 
personal interest without a parallel in the whole range of war 
literature. 

Nowhere in the realm of books is portrayed more vividly the 
grandeur and heroism of the American soldier, his courage and 
love for home and country. But the sword has been sheathed, 
and the gentle breezes waft sweet perfumes over the graves of 
peaceful warriors as they sleep side by side. Monuments dot 
hillside and plain where once the battle raged. 

Federal and Confederate chieftains sit side by side in the 
Senate chamber, and unite in the councils of our chosen ruler. 

Peace and joy have spread their silver wings over the desola- 
tions and bereavements of the past, and to-day we are one people, 
one country, united under one flag. 

Fraternally, 

Springfield, Mass., June, 1887. Will. -©. JCinj,. 





GAnP-riRE SKETGRES*- 



*BATTl2E-riELD EGH0ES 



OF 



THK REBELLION, 



"THE BOYS." 



THE CHRISTIANA RIOT, 

OR 

How the First Gun of the Rebellion was Fired. 

BY M. G. 

O understand the famous " Christiana Riot " it will 
be necessary to go back and investigate the causes 
that led to it. In the lower part of Lancaster 
and Chester counties. Pa., lived a community of 
Quakers, and people reared under Quaker influences. 
These people had been accustomed to succor fugi- 
tive slaves. Many of them did not go so far as to 
assist them in leaving their masters, but they all 
felt it to be a Christian duty to assist them after 
they had escaped. "The Fugitive Slave Law" 
made such assistance a crime punishable with fine 
and imprisonment, and it aroused the deepest feel- 
ing in this community. 
The "Gap-gang," a notorious band of outlaws, 
took advantage of the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law, to 
kidnap and hurry off to slavery colored men who were known 
to be free. 

On the 9th of September, 1851, Mr. Edward Gorsuch appeared 
before Edward D. Ingraham, and, under the act of Congress of 
September 18, 1850, asked for warrants for the arrest of four of 
his slaves whom he had heard were somewhere in Lancaster 
county. Warrants were issued to H. H. Kline, a deputy U. S. 
marshal, authorizing him to arrest George and Joshua Ham- 
mond, Nelson Ford, and Noah Buley, persons held to service or 
labor in the state of Maryland, and bring them before the com- 
missioner. Mr. Gorsuch then made arrp.ngements with two 
police officers of Philadelphia, named "Agin" and "Tully," to 
assist Kline in capturing the fugitives. 

It was about daybreak of September 11 when they neared 
the house. The building was the property of Levi Pownall, a 
well-known Friend, and, at the time, was the abode of a colored 

(9) 




10 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



man named William Parker. The officers demanded the slaves, 
and threatened to shoot them or burn down the house if they 
did not surrender. The number of besiegers is said to have 
been fifteen. 

While they were advancing on the house Mr. Gorsuch 
saw a colored man whom he thought he recognized as one 

of his slaves. The party 



came to the house and found 
the door open. They entered, 
and Kline ordered all to come 
down stairs, saying that he 
had warrants for the arrest 
of Nelson Ford and Joshua 
Hammond. The negroes re- 
plied that there were no such 
men in the house. Kline and 
Edward Gorsuch attempted 
to go up stairs. They were 
prevented by an ordinary fish 
gig, or pronged instrument. 
Mr. Gorsuch and others now 
went outside to parley with 
the negroes at the window, but Kline fired his pistol up the 
stairs, the warrants were read, and a demand was made for the 
landlord. Kline then proposed to withdraw, but Gorsuch re- 
fused, saying, that he would not leave till he had arrested his 
slaves. The deputy-marshal next ordered some one to go to 
the sheriff and bring one hundred men. 

This was intended to intimidate the negroes. While this was 
going on, a colored man, who lived in the neighborhood, 
chanced to pass Parker's house. He saw the yard full of men, 
one of whom presented a pistol and ordered him to leave the 
place. He hurried to the store of Elijah Lewis, near by, and 
told him that ''Parker's house was surrounded by kidnapers, 
who were trying to get him away." 

Mr. Lewis is still living in Christiana, at the advanced age of 
eighty-three years, and what happened after is best told as 
from his own lips: "I was the first white man that arrived 
there. On my way I called upon 'Castner Hanway' and told 
him what was going on. Parker's house is in Sadsbury town- 
ship, Lancaster county, about two miles from Christiana. The 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 11 

first person I met was Henry Kline, who had a warrant for the 
arrest of the fugitives. He commanded me to assist in arrest- 
ing some slaves. I said, ' Thee has come to the wrong place for 
assistance.' He showed the warrant, and, while I was convers- 
ing with him, a company of colored men came with their guns 
and arrayed themselves in battle order across the road. They 
stood there, pointing their guns right at us, and calling: 'Get 
out of the way ! get out of the way !' I said to Kline: 'Look 
up and down the valley; see, the men are coming as hard as 
they can run, with guns and other weapons.' I then told him 
to call his men away, and stood by to aid them if needed. 
They started as if to go away, but the old man and his com- 
pany went back to the house, leaving an enemy behind in 
those drawn up across the road, and also to meet several colored 
men in the house, who had just come there for an apple-butter 
boiling. I heard the men in the house shout: 'We are saved! 
we are saved!' Then they came down from the second story. 
Gorsuch met them, and fired his pistol at Parker. The col- 
ored men returned his fire and killed the unfortunate slave- 
holder. His son was shot also, but not mortally wounded. 
Then began the running — the colored people, the masters, 
and the constable's posse — each trying to save himself as best 
he could. An inquest was held over the body of the elder 
Gorsuch. In the mean time Lewis Cooper took the younger 
Gorsuch to Levi PownalFs house. Here he was nursed as 
carefully as if he had been a brother." 

There was nothing done for thirty-six hours to try to arrest 
those who had had a hand in the riot. Then a warrant was is- 
sued for the arrest of those engaged in the affair, giving those 
actually guilty time to get half-way to Canada. Warrants were 
issued by a magistrate, Joseph D. Pownall, at Christiana. 
None of the men that had assailed Parker's house were ever 
arrested, but thirty - seven innocent negroes languished for 
weeks in Moyamensing. The total immediate result of the out- 
break, which was believed by the anti-slavery people to be part 
of a gigantic slave-catching expedition into Pennsylvania, was 
the catching of a single fugitive, but who, by the exertions of 
Passmore Williamson, Thomas Earle, and others, escaped. Its 
more remote results are with us to-day. 




ARRIVAL * AT t THE » CAPITAL of * 



* THE FIRST « BODY « OF * PA. « TROOPS. 



Ati Excited Moh.—The First Blood Shed Noyth of Fort Sumter. 

BY WILLIAM F. M'KAY, 25th PA. REGIMENT. 




(WO years previous to the bombardment of Fort 
Sumter the miilitary spirit of Lewistown, Pa., 
was revived by the formation of a company of 
light infantry. Tlie ranks were filled by young 
men from the best families in the community. 
On the morning of the sixteenth day of April, 
1861, Governor Curtin called upon our com- 
pany for service. 

The summons was obeyed promptly. Our total number was 
fifty-one men, including officers. Captain Selheimer increased 
this number to one hundred and four men in the space of 
two hours. We took our departure that night for Harrisburg, 
and were the first company to arrive there. We were speedily 
joined by four other companies of the Pennsylvania National 
Guards, the Washington Artillery and National Light Infan- 
try, of Pottsville, the Ringgold Artillery, of Reading, and the 
Allen Infantry, of Allentown. Our men were only partly 
armed, and what few muskets we had were turned into the 
State Arsenal, and for some unaccountable reason we were 
loaded on the cars, entirely unarmed, to pass through the then 
disloyal city of Baltimore. We were accompanied by a detach- 
ment of forty regulars, whose destination was Fort McHenry, 
Baltimore. 

The city of Baltimore was under the control of the Seces- 
sionists and an infuriated mob, frenzied with passion and 
liquor, who awaited our coming. As we disembarked from the 

(12) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 13 

cars we were surrounded by a hooting, yelling crowd, who lav- 
ished the most opprobrious epithets upon us. Our line of march 
was formed with the ' ' Logan " Guards on the right, preceded 
by a part of. the regulars, who accompanied us a part of the 
way. A line of Marshal Kane's police was on each side of us. 
The streets and sidewalks were jammed with people, and at 
every cross street we were met by fresh masses, who hurled 
bricks and paving stones at us. The line of the police was 
nearly broken at several points. Doorways and windows were 
filled and many secession flags met our gaze. Indeed, the only 
national flag that could be seen was at Fort McHenry. Had 
the rioters organized as they did two days later, when the 
6th Mass. Regt. fought their way through this city, they would 
have annihilated our command, 

A colored servant of the Pottsville companies was the first 
man on our side to shed his blood, north of Fort Sumter. He 
was knocked down by a paving stone and his head badly cut. 
We were put into freight cars at the Washington depot, and it 
was then that the mob seemed more ferocious than ever. Some 
mounted the decks of the cars, and by jumping on them at- 
tempted to break them through. A continual stream of mis- 
siles was flying through the openings of the cars; they 
attempted to tear up the track and several times uncoupled the 
engine from our train. 

Some of our boys were hard to restrain under all these insults 
and abuse, and two of them jumped out and offered to fight 
any two men in the crowd. This seemed to please them some- 
what and they said that we might go on, but that they would 

give the " Massachusetts Yankees h 1." After many delays, 

we were once more on the move, and at 7 p. m. arrived in 
Washington. We were silently marched to the Capitol Build- 
ing, where we were reviewed by Major, afterwards General 
McDowell. We had our headquarters in the hall of the House 
of Representatives. That night was our first experience in the 
art of eating wormy pork and hard-tack. One of our mem- 
bers, who was fully six feet in height, actually shed tears 
because he had no sugar on his bread. This young man was 
afterwards a captain in the gallant 96th Pa. Vols., but he is 
called " Sugar Jim " to this day. 

Early on the following morning our first sergeant reported 
us ready for duty to Adjutant-General Mansfield, and he told 



14 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Matthews that we were "the first company reported for duty 
in the war," 

The Gth Regt. of Mass, Vols, having fought their way 
through the blockade at Baltimore made us feel still more 
valiant, but for eleven days after we were entirely cut off from 
the North, until General Butler opened a new route by way of 
Annapolis, The Massachusetts soldiers were quickly followed 
by regiments from New York, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. 
In a few days we received orders to embark for Fort Wash- 
ington, on the Potomac, opposite Mount Vernon. As we 
passed Alexandria, our men kept concealed and our steamer 
hugged the opposite shore, for the rebels had a battery of field 
guns on the wharf, and had they known there were Union 
troops on that steamer they would probably have sent us to the 
bottom of the river. Major Haskin, a one-armed veteran of 
the Mexican war, was in command of Fort Washington, and 
under him we speedily acquired the steadiness and accuracy 
of regular soldiers. Squad and company drills, mounting heavy 
guns in the fort and water battery, and making abatis on the 
land side, left us little time to do anything else. When the 
news of our disastrous defeat at Manassas reached us our time 
had expired and we voluntarily remained two weeks longer. 
We were then forwarded to Harrisburg, where we were mus- 
tered from service. 

On the 23d of July, 1861, we received the thanks of Congress, 
the following resolution having been passed: — 

Resoloed, That the thanks of this House are due and are hereby tendered to 
the five hundred and thirty soldiers from Pennsylvania, who passed through the 
mob at Baltimore and reached Washington on the eighteenth day of April, 1861, 
for the defense of the National Capital. 

This company afterwards furnished no less than thirty-three 
commissioned officers in different organizations, and we chal- 
lenge any company in either army to make a better showing 
of what the citizen soldier can do, Selheimer and Hulings 
became colonels. 

Our first sergeants, Matthews, Irwin, and William G, Mitchell, 
late of General Hancock's staff, were brigadiers, another be- 
came a major and the rest were commissioned captains and 
lieutenants. The other four companies also made a brilliant 
record in the war. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 15 

DEFEAT. 

General Scott could not understand how a "hero of one hun- 
dred battles" could be beaten, and he only believed when the 
retreating, panic'-stricken army sounded its approach. When 
the veteran was convinced, he gave an order to suppress all news 
of the disaster which might be offered for telegraphing to the 
country. Armed with this document I drove to the American 
telegraph office and notified its manager. 

The tables were piled with specials from the field, describing 
in thrilling language the scenes and events of the day. All 
intimations of disaster were ruthlessly cut from the specials and 
only the rose coloring was permitted to be telegraphed. Thus 
it was that whilst the gloom of the darkest hour in the Repub- 
lic's history hung like a pall over Washington, throughout the 
North bells were ringing out rejoicings over the glad tidings of 
victory. Telegrams were sent to General McClellan, at 
Beverly, West Virginia, informing him of a "repulse" to Mc- 
Dowell, and to Generals Banks and Dix — both of whom were in 
Baltimore — instructing them to keep their men under arms. 
No official telegrams for aid was sent at this time, but Col. 
Thomas A. Scott, with a keen perception of the situation and 
foreseeing the necessity of the morrow, sent a telegram to 
Governor Curtin, at Harrisburg, which was so characteristic of 
the man, that I give its full text: — 

Washington, July 21, 1861. 
Hon. a. G. Curtin, Harrhhurg, Pn. 

Get your regiments at Harrisburg, Easton, and other points ready for immedi- 
ate shipment. Lose no time preparing. Make things move to the utmost. 

Thomas A. Scott. 

This dispatch anticipated by many hours any official action 
looking towards a call for "more troops." Mr. Lincoln 
lingered around the War Department until after two o'clock in 
the morning, when he retired to the White House, leaving 
Mr. Scott on guard — an active, watchful sentinel of the move- 
ments of the night. Had the country been consulted, it could 
not have selected from its patriotic sons an abler, truer, wiser, 
braver guardian than the noble man Mr. Lincoln left to care 
for the nation's interests in the crisis which had come upon it. 



Btlj Mass. Regt. Fussing througlj Bcltipe. 

A FURIOUS MOB BARRICADES THE STREETS— MARSHAL KABE HELPLESS. 




N answer to the 
President's call for 
troops Governor 
Andrew, of 
Massachu- 
setts, on the 
15th of April, 
1801, ordered 
the 6th Mass. 
Regt. to mus- 
ter forthwith on " Boston Com- 
mon." On the night of April 
18, they had reached Philadel- 
phia, Pa. . and had put up at the 
Girard House, then new and 
unoccupied. The regiment was 
here met by Gen. P. S. Davis, 
an agent of Massachusetts, 
who informed Colonel Jones, 
of the 6th, that there would 
be a stormy time when the reg- 
iment reached Baltimore, and 
added he could take no respon- 
sibility in directing his action. 
Colonel Jones responded, "My 
orders are to reach Washington 
at the earliest moment possible 
and I shall go on." It was 
about 1 A. M. the 19th, and he 
at once aroused his regiment 

( 



and arranged with the officers 
of the railroad for a " pilot en- 
gine" to go in advance of his 
train, so that they arrived safe- 
ly at Baltimore about 10 a. m., 
several hours in advance of 
their expected arrival. Twenty 
rounds of ball cartridges had 
been distributed en route, so 
that all the muskets were 
loaded and primed. As the 
train reached the city, the en- 
gine was unshackled and 
horses were at once hitched to 
the cars, as was usual, to draw 
them across the city. The rail- 
road officials were making ner- 
vous haste, fearing what might 
happen, but nothing like an at- 
tack was made until the sev- 
enth car had started. Major 
Watson had been stationed at 
the rear of the train when leav- 
ing Philadelphia, the regiment 
having taken the cars in regu- 
lar order as in line, but when 
they were transferred at Havre- 
de-Grace the cars were attach- 
ed differently, so that the order 
as in line was now broken. 
IG) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



17 



When the car upon which 
Major Watson was stationed 
started, he took it for granted 
that all the regiment was on 
its way across the city. His 
car was attacked by clubs, 
paving stones, and other mis- 
siles, but no defense was made 
until three men had been 
wounded (the last by a pistol 
shot), when the company was 
permitted to fire at will. As 
it crossed the city, this car was 
three times derailed. Upon 
reaching the other depot. Su- 
perintendent Smith, of the Bal- 
timore and Ohio Railroad, in- 
formed Colonel Jones that the 
road was so obstructed that 
the four remaining companies 
could not be brought over. 
There were two hundred and 
twenty men in these four com- 
panies (C, I, L, and D) and they 
were surrounded by a mob of 
thousands, who filled the air 
with yells, oaths, taunts, mis- 
siles, and shots. Capt. A. S. 
FoUansbee, finding the railroad 
and streets obstructed, at once 
assumed command and in the 
order of the companies as 
stated commenced his march 
across the city. A formidable 
barricade on Pratt street was 
scaled; and a point where tlie 
mob ha,d hoped to annihi- 
late the detachment was thus 
passed. Cheers for Davis and 
for the South, and taunts of 
"you can't fight," "dig your 

2 



graves," "nigger stealers," and 
"Yankee scabs," filled the air. 
Pistol and gunshots came from 
windows, roofs, and streets, 
while everything which could 
be picked up was hurled upon 
the devoted column. It was 
early on the march evident, 
that nothing but blood would 
satisfy the ruffians, and though 
in a measure they left the ad- 
vance clear, yet the crowd 
hung upon the rear of the col- 
umn, a dense and infuriated 
mob. After a few of the men 
had been wounded. Captain 
FoUansbee gave the boys per- 
mission to defend themselves, 
and from that time until the 
detachment reached the Wash- 
ington depot there was a con- 
stant fusillade of musketry. 
As any of the 6th Mass. were 
wounded they were borne 
along by comrades. As they 
reached the Washington depot 
they found an immense crowd 
brandishing revolvers, knives, 
clubs, and other weapons; and 
the police powerless or disin- 
clined to control them. Guns 
and revolvers were being dis- 
charged on both sides, and the 
depot was soon perforated like 
a pepper box. After consider- 
able delay the train started, fol- 
lowed by an enraged crowd, 
who piled every conceivable 
obstruction on the track. Af- 
ter frequent stops for repairing 
breaks the conductor reported 



li 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



he could go no farther, and 
that the regiment must march 
the rest of the way. Colonel 
Jones told him, he held through 
tickets to Washington, and if 
he could not run the train 
through, he had men who could 
fill every position on the train 
and could and would put the 
train through. The train was 
again started, and at Jackson 
Bridge, the mob gave up the 



chase. After a long delay at 
the Kelay House, the train 
reached Washington late in 
the afternoon, and the boys 
were received by Major (after- 
ward General) McDowell, and 
were quartered that night in 
the United States Senate cham- 
ber. The loss of the regiment 
in passing through Baltimore 
was four killed, and thirty-six 
wounded. 




First Battle nf Bull Run. 



JULY 21, 1861. 



A "Baptism of Fire" and a Desperate Struggle. How Jackson 
got the Title of " Stonewall." 

BY MAJOK WILLIAM M. ROBBINS, FOURTH ALABAMA REGIMENT. 




'N the afternoon of July 18, 1861, the 
army of Gen. Joe Johnston, 10,000 
strong, which had been in front of 
■\^^ General Patterson near Winchester, 
Va., was hastily put in motion and marched off 
southeastwardly, going we knew not whither. Heat, dust, and 
night-fall made the rapid march disagreeable enough, but it 
was pushed without check until we reached the Shenandoah. 
This river — about waist deep — was waded at dawn of the 
nineteenth amidst songs, jokes, and general hilarity. The Blue 
Ridge was passed at Ashby's Gap, and at evening of the same 
day the head of the column arrived at Piedmont station on the 
Manassas Gap railroad, from whence Johnston's forces were 
forwarded in detachments by rail as fast as transportation 
could be furnished. 



. BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 19 

So much has been said about Johnston's troops appearing on 
the field, in the nick of time, and after the battle had been long 
raging, that an impression extensively prevails that none of 
them were there at the opening of the fight. This a great mis- 
take. Three brigades — Jackson's, Bartow's, and (nearly all of) 
Bee's — were at hand when the battle opened and bore an im- 
portant part in it all day. The 4th Alabama and other regi- 
ments of Bee's brigade reached the Junction at noon of the 
twentieth, and were among the very earliest in the conflict the 
next day. 

It was only a comparatively minor number of Johnston's 
men under Kirby Smith and Elrey that leaped from the train 
when the battle was in progress, and, hastening down the War- 
renton pike, came in so luckily on the right rear of the 
Federals and caused the panic which gave the victory to the 
Confederates. 

The 4th Alabama were busy with breakfast not far from 
the Junction, when the boom of a gun in the direction of the 
railroad bridge, over Bull Run, drew our eyes that way, and we 
saw for the first time the little sphere of white vapor produced 
by the bursting of a shell. Our regiment, with others of Bee's 
brigade, was at once moved at double-quick towards the Con- 
federate left, but we had scarcely reached the designated point 
when we were again ordered to go at a rapid run two miles still 
further up the stream, to meet the Federals at Sudley's Ford. 
All depended on presenting a quick front to this unexpected 
movement. We went across the fields at our highest speed and 
soon reached the plateau of the Henry House, around which 
the battle was afterward mainly fought. Bee knew that his 
brigade alone could not hold the position, and saw that the 
enemy would secure it, unless checked and delayed by some 
means, before an adequate force of Confederates could get 
there to oppose them. To gain the needed time it was neces- 
sary to risk the sacrifice of the two and a half regiments 
then with him by a bold movement still further to the 
front. So he ordered the 4th Alabama, with the 2d and 11th 
Mississippi, to move half a mile further to the next bridge, to 
engage the enemy and delay them as long as possible. Down 
the slope we rushed, panting and breathless, but still eager, 
because ignorant of the desperate crisis which doomed us to 
probable destruction, to save the whole army. As we passed 



20 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

the little rivulet below the Stone House, the artillery duel began, 
and shells of friend and foe shrieked wildly above our heads. 

Mounting the hill and entering the copse of timber north of 
the Stone House, we began to hear a sharp crackling of 
musketry ahead of us — a collision between the Federals and 
Wheat's "Louisiana Tigers," wearing the Zouave uniform. 

A little further up the hill and beyond the timber, we struck 
the enemy and no mistake. Their long advancing line, with 
the " Stars and Stripes" (which made some of us feel sorry), 
began to peer over the crest, eighty yards in our front, and 
opened a terrific fire, but which went mostly over us. On re- 
ceiving the enemy's fire we lay down and waited until we 
could see their bodies to the waist, when we gave them a volley 
which was effective and the Federals fell back behind the 
crest. After some interval they advanced another and longer 
line; but the result was the same as before, only they held on 
longer this time and their fire hurt us badly. A third time they 
came on in a line which extended far beyond our flanks, and 
now the conflict became bloody and terrible. Their balls came 
not only from the front but from right and left oblique, cut- 
ting down our colonel (Egbert Jones) and many a familiar 
form so recently full of hope and gayety. Then War began to 
show us his wrinkled front. It seemed our safest course to hug 
the ground and pepper away at them; and so from sheer des- 
peration, as much as anything, we kept at it, until, to our great 
joy, the enemy fell back once more behind the crest. General 
Bee, seeing that we would be overwhelmed at the next on- 
slaught, gave us the order to retire. Nearly one-third of the -tth 
Alabama had gone down in the effort and were left on the 
ground, including the colonel, mortally wounded. The 7th 
and 8th Georgia, of Bartow's brigade, also came to our ad- 
vanced position but far to our right during the contest. They 
had a bloody collision with another column of the Federals, 
and contributed materially to the delay of the Federal advance. 

As we retired by the same route along which we had come, we 
saw a regiment in column by companies, marching down the 
rivulet toward us. Their flag was furled on the staff and so 
was ours. They thought we were Federals, but were not sure. 
As for ourselves we felt certain no enemy had got so far in 
our rear; their uniforms also resembled that of the 6th North 
Carolina, belonging to our brigade, and we naturally took them 



# BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 21 

for that regiment coming to our aid. Thus encouraged we 
halted, faced about and re-formed our line, intending with this 
re-enforcement to take another tilt with the enemy. The regi- 
ment referred to also halted and deployed into line of battle at 
right angles to ours and less than one hundred yards from our 
flank. Their colonel signaled us with his handkerchief, for the 
purpose of learning who we were, as it afterward appeared. 
We never dreamed that that was his purpose, thinking of course 
he knew us. All this took place in a few moments. Having 
rearranged our line our flag was unfurled showing the " Stars 
and Bars!" Instantly a blaze of fire flashed along the line of 
our supposed friends (a New York regiment it really was), and 
an enfilading hailstorm of bullets tore through the 4th Ala- 
bama, killing many and disabling more. Amongst those who 
fell were Lieutenant-Colonel Law and Major Scott, leaving our 
regiment without a field oflicer. What do you supj^ose we did? 
We didn't stay there; it is frank to say that we got back to the 
main Confederate line in the shortest time possible. Having 
arrived there, the 4th Alabama fell in on the right of the 
line and fought to the end of that terrible day. 

The position of our regiment being now on the right of the 
Confederate line, the plateau of the Henry House, — and the 
leading design of the Federals during the entire day being to 
turn the Confederate left, the heaviest fighting gradually veered 
toward that flank. The 6th North Carolina, separated from 
the brigade in the maneuvers of tlie day, had rushed in single- 
handed and attempted to check it, but had been smitten by 
overwhelming power, and their gallant Colonel Fisher and 
many of his men were no more. Jackson, with his brigade, 
was struggling desperately, to arrest the Federal columns; but 
immovable as Jackson and his men stood, the surging tides of 
the enemy were beating upon him with such a mighty force 
that it seemed as if he must give way. At one time the battle 
had entirely lulled on the right. Our brigadier. Gen. Barnard 
E. Bee, at this moment came galloping to the 4th Alabama, 
and said: '" My brigade is scattered over the field and you are 
all of it I can find. Men, can you make a charge of bayonets?" 
" Yes, General," was the prompt response, "we will go wherever 
you lead and do whatever you say." Pointing toward where 
Jackson and his brigade were desperately battling, Bee said: 
" Over yonder stands Jackson, like a stone wall! Let us go to 



23 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



his assistance." Saying that, Bee dismounted and led the 
4th Alabama to Jackson's position. Other re-enforcements 
coming up a vigorous charge was made pressing the Federals 
back. In this charge Bee fell mortally wounded. Bartow fell 
nearly at the same time within a stone's throw of the same 
spot. Before the Federals recovered from the impression made 
by this partial repulse they saw Kirby Smith's men advancing 
down the Warrenton pike upon their right rear (as before 
stated), and his unexpected appearance in that quarter struck 
them with an overpowering panic and caused their precipitate 
retreat from the field. 

The battle ended so suddenly that the Confederates could 
neither understand nor scarcely believe it. 





By the Camp^Kirk. 

BY MRS. S. D. HOBART. 




E meet in joy and gladness 

Beside the camp-fire's light, 
^And kindly greetings temper 
The chilling winter's night. 
Amid the song and laughter. 

The comfort, warmth, and glow, 
Our hearts recall the pictures 
Of camp-fires long ago. 

'' Come ! " rang from Freedom's watch- 
towers, 

And, answering to the call. 
You went, our manliest, bravest, 

Our light, our joy, our all, 
While mothers to their bosoms 

Their stripling first-born pressed, 
And whispered through their soblung, 

" Dear land, we give our best ! " 

Beneath the Southern star-beams, 
By camp-fire blazing bright. 

You told the tales of skirmish, 
Of pickets, inarch, and fight. 



The songs that cheered the moments 
Ring down the aisles of time ; 

No songs so thrill the soldier 
As their wild, pulsing rhyme. 

" Glory, Hallelujah ! " 

Pealed through the startled trees ; 
" We'll rally 'round the flag, boys," 

Came floating on the breeze. 
With "Marching on to Richmond 1 

The canvas walls resound, 
And the echoes chorus " Tenting 

To-night on the old camp-ground." 

" We're coming, Father Abraham 1 " 

Rings to the hills away. 
" Our flag shall float, forever ! " 

" Our own brave boys are they ! " 
" When this cruel war is over 

No longer will we roam." 
" Tramp, tramp, the boys are march- 
ing ! " 

And the song of " The girls at 
home ! " 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



23 



Soon came the rude awak'ning ; 

Startled, but undismayed, 
You heard through widening circles 

The furious fusillade. 
O'er wounded, dead, and dying, 

Amid the cannons' roar. 
Unwavering and unswerving. 

Fair Freedom's flag you bore. 

Oh ! valiant, true, and steadfast, 

Through tempest, heat, and cold, 
Our country crowned you hei'oes. 

In those grand brave days of old. 
Though homesick, heartsick, weary, 

Daring the battery's breath, 
Your brave hearts never faltered 

While face to face with death. 



Then back from field and prison, 

A band of crippled men, 
The wreck of battle-surges, 

We welcomed you again. 
We saw your thin ranks falter. 

And wails of anguish sore 
Went up from home and hearthstone, 

For those who came no more. 

Still through the rolling ages 

Shall brightly glow their fame ; 
Still on our country's annals 

Theii" deeds of valor flame. 
And bands of patriot children, 

In spring-time's sunny hours. 
Shall rev'rent place above them 

Fair wreaths of spotless flowers. 




^^3^ 



A PRESENTIMENT DP DEATH. 

C. M. BABBITT, SPRINGFIELD, MASS. 



{WAS a member of Company E of 
the 37th Mass. Vols., and had a 
bunk mate by the name of James 
Perkins, who enlisted from the same 
town with myself (South Adams), who 
had a presentiment that he should be 
killed in the next battle our regiment 
was engaged in. After the battle of 
Chancellorsville we tried to%rgue him 
out of the idea, but he continued to 
assert that he knew he should be killed. 
On the night of July 1, and a portion 
of the day following, we were compelled 
to make a forced march of upwards of 
forty miles .to reach Gettysburg for the 
action which occurred there. During 
the march my comrade James was so 
overcome with fatigue that he had to 
fall out of the ranks, and did not reach 
the battle field until a few minutes be- 



fore the rebels opened their terrible fire 
on the 3d. Our regiment was ordered 
to re-enforce a point in the lines at 
double quick, and just as we were get- 
ting under way, James turned to me 
and said, " Charley, this is pretty tough, 
to nearly march your life out to get 
here to be killed." The words were 
scarcely spoken when a piece of shell 
struck hiin just over the right ear and 
passed through his head, coming out 
above the left eye, killing him in- 
stantly. I fell over his body as he 
was breathing his last. The next 
morning, with my comrades Baldwin 
and Pettitt, I helped to put him in a 
rude grave and mark a board with his 
name, company, and regiment, which 
afterwards led to his remains being 
placed in the National cemetery. 



HEWS BT THE CJPim FPIH BOLL BOH. 

How Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet Received the Defeat. 










NE of the most illustrious groups brought together 
during the war with the South, was one which 
gathered in the War Department at Washington 
on the beautiful Sunday which witnessed the 
tragedy at Bull Run. The group was composed 
President Lincoln, William H. Seward, Simon 
Cameron, Salmon P. Chase, Gideon Welles, and 
Edwin Bates of the Cabinet; Colonels Townsend, Van 
Rensselaer, Hamilton, and Wright of General Scott's 
staff; General Mansfield commanding the defenses at 
Washington, and Col. Thomas A. Scott, of Pennsylvania. 
With maps of the field before them they watched the conflict 
of arms as it progressed. The military telegraph, which had 
not yet reached the efficiency which afterward characterized it, 
extended only to Fairfax Court House, from which point General 
McDowell kept the authorities advised of his movements. 
Hour after hour the couriers reported our gallant troops 
steadily forcing the enemy back. 

A dispatch had been received from General Patterson the 
evening before, announcing that Johnston had eluded him, but 
the possibility of Johnston's forming a junction with Beaure- 
gard that day was not thought possible. The day passed 
quietly, all looking forward with absolute confidence to Mc- 
DowelFs success. 

Up to half past three o'clock in the afternoon, advices from 
McDowell were frequent, the dispatch at that hour indicating 
that he was pressing Beauregard back to the Junction. From 
then until the shades of evening, an oininous silence settled on 
the telegraph. Conversation took a speculative turn on the 
cause of the sudden cessation of information from the field, but 

(24) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



25 



the general opinion was that McDowell, flushed with victory, 
was too busily engaged in securing its fruits to write dis- 
patches. As time wore on, speculation gave way to impatience, 
until the throbbing instrument broke the long silence saying, 
"Our army is retreating." There was no consternation, and 
but a feeble ripple of excitement. Whatever may have been 
the feelings and thoughts of these gentlemen they kept them 
closely veiled. 

Mr. Seward smoked on, but the days of his prophecy were 
ended. 

Col. Thomas A. Scott, turning to General Mansfield, said, 
" General, it would be well to man your fortifications and stay 
this retreat," and then left the department with the purpose of 
holding a consultation with General Scott. 



*->>^fe]j ^,^~y^-c=^. 



ARN/LY TKAN/[STKRS. 



R]MY teamsters were never appre- 
0^;, ciated at their true value by sol- 
diers in the field, for it was the 
general opinion that " any fool 
can drive mules." Those who 
tried the experiment found the team- 
ster's office not a sinecure. The suc- 
cessful handling of six stubborn, 
pugnacious brutes required a degree 
of patience, skill, and will power only 
developed by long experience. When 
the roads were dry and even, wagon 
driving was a pastime, but when the 
trains reached the mountain passes, 
or the roads became seas of mud, then 
the task was no joke. Mud, three feet 
deep, as tenacious as stiff clay could 
make it, rendered the movement of 
wagons and artillery a difficult opera- 
tion. The wheels were solid disks of 
mud, and the labor for both men 
and animals was multiplied four-fold. 
Then the genius of the teamster was 



manifested. Witli an inexhaustible 
vocabulary of oaths at command, 
and armed with a formidable snake 
whip, both were used with startling 
and telling effect. The air, blue with 
shocking profanity, and the huge whip 
whistling cruelly on the backs of the 
quivering brutes, gave them new 
strength, and the mired vehicle soon 
emerged from its muddy bed. It was 
a leading article of faith among team- 
sters that mules could only be driven 
by constant cursing, and they lived up 
to that belief with rare constancy. An 
attempt to drive a team of mules with- 
out indulgence in profanity invariably 
proved a failure, because the animals 
had become so accustomed to that 
method of persuasion that they would 
not move without it. Teamsters, as a 
class, were brave and untiring in their 
peculiar sphere of duty, but they got 
very little credit from the rank and file, 



26 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



being generally looked upon as men 
who were unwilling to fight. They 
could fight, however, for the teamsters 
frequently saved their trains from capt- 
ure by stubborn resistance when at- 
tacked. Every wagon carried a loaded 
musket and the weapons were often 
used with deadly effect. 

Many a brave mule driver died like 
a hero in defending the property in- 
trusted to his charge, though there 



was seldom any record cf such brav- 
ery. 

To see an ordnance train gallop upon 
a battle field was an exhilarating sight, 
for the teamsters were then in their 
glory. Coming up on a trot the 
wagons wheeled into line as cleverly as 
if the men were moving field pieces 
into position, and the mules strained 
every muscle and obeyed every com- 
mand with remarkable docility. 



KINDNESS NOT FORGOTTEN. 

Muj. Burke and the Qth Mass. Regt. 

a.URING the war Major Burke, of 
J New Orleans, was in command 
^^ of a detachment that captured a 
part of the 6th Mass. Regt. He 
treated the prisoners as kindly as cir- 
cumstances would permit, and parted 
from them with expressions of courtesy 
and regret. Years passed and he heard 
not a word from any of them. But at 
the time of the great flood, when South- 
ern Louisiana lay prosti-ate and helpless 
under the sweep of turbulent waters. 
Major Bui'ke, as chairman of the relief 
committee, received a dispatch from 
Boston, authorizing him to draw at 
sight for $10,000. This was one of the 
earliest responses to the pitiful cry that 
had gone up from a stricken community 
for help, and it touched and encouraged 
the major and his associates. Two 
hours later came another dispatch from 
Boston " draw for another -'^10,000," and 
in a few hours came a third dispatch 
donating another $10,000. 

With these dispatches came the state- 
ment : " The 6th Mass. remembers the 
kindness of Major Burke." 



AN ANECDOTE OF "JEB" STUART. 



By General Longstreet. 

^EB STUART was a very daring 
AI fellow, and one of the best cavalry- 
^ men America ever produced. At 
the second Manassas, soon after we 
heard of the advance of McDowell and 
Porter, Stuart came in and made a 
report to General Lee. When he had 
done so. General Lee said he had no 
orders at that moment, but he re- 
quested Stuart to wait a while. There- 
upon Stuart turned round in his tracks, 
lay down on the ground, put a stone 
under his head, and instantly fell 
asleep. General Lee rode away, and in 
an hour returned. Stuart was still 
sleeping. Lee asked for him, and 
Stuart sprang to his feet and said, 
" Here I am, General." 

General Lee replied, " I want you to 
send a message to your troops over on 
the left to send a few more cavalry 
over to the right." 

" I would better go myself," said 
Stuart, and with that he swung himself 
into the saddle and rode off at a rapid 
gallop, singing as loudly as he could, 
" Jine the cavalry." 



THE FIRST IRON-GLAD RAM. 

AN ATTEMPTTO RAISETHE BLOCKADE AT NEW ORLEANS. 

IS Si. 

BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER IN ARMS. 




'61, among the earliest orders I received from the 
Confederate government, was to report for duty 
on board the steamer McRae, then fitting out for 
sea at New Orleans. The craft in question was 
perhaps of a hundred tons burthen. Above the 
water line and about a foot below, it was encased 
with railroad iron placed fore and aft. longitudi- 
^^^^^^^B nally. Private persons had constructed this ram 
and when completed she became the property of 
the Confederate government; the battle of Bull Run taking place 
at about that time, she was named the Manassas. She did not 
carry battery, but depended wholly upon her ramming powers. 
It is worthy of consideration that in this hastily constructed 
ram there was a return to the method of Salamis and Actium; 
that, too, against artillery compared with which the cannon 
that thundered at Trafalgar were mere popguns, with the dif- 
ference that steam was substituted for oars and iron armor for 
the open deck. A single vessel like the Manassas, unarmed as 
she was, might easily have destroyed both the Greek and Per- 
sian fleets at Salamis and have turned the tide of battle at 
Trafalgar. Commodore HoUins having taken command of our 
little naval force at New Orleans, he determined to make an 
effort to raise the blockade of the river. By this time the Sum- 
ter had got to sea, and the machinery of the McRae proving 
defective, her orders to run the blockade were countermanded 
and she was permanently attached to Commodore Hollins's com- 
mand. The McRae was a propeller, mounting six guns, and in 

(27) 



28 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

adfdition to her, Commodore Hollins's squadron consisted of a 
side-wheel steamer, commanded by Captain Fry, a couple of 
tugboats, mounting a gun apiece, and the ram Manassas. 

The Federal blockading squadron lay at anchor in the river. 
It consisted of the steam corvette Richmond, the sail corvette 
Preble, and one other vessel whose name I have forgotten. 
Commander Hollins selected a dark night for the execution of 
his plan, which was as follows: To ram the Richmond with 
the Manassas and simultaneously to set adrift fire-ships in the 
river, above the enemy. Lieutenant Warley, executive officer 
of the McRae, was selected to command the Manassas. War- 
ley was known as a dashing, intrepid officer, whose readiness to 
obey an order would be equal to any danger attending its ex- 
ecution. By a singular coincidence he had served on board the 
Richmond, so that it was against his recent messmates and 
personal friends that he was about to act. With officers of the 
regular service it was civil war and no doubt of it. It was 
messmate against messmate; brother-in-arms against brother- 
in-arms; and it was only a stern sense of duty that could, 
under such circumstances, have made American officers take 
either side. For fire-ships two coal barges Avere loaded with 
combustible material and taken in tow by the tugs. On the 
night of the 12th of October we got under way and steamed 
down towards the enemy; the Manassas in the advance, fol- 
lowed by the tugs towing the fire-ships; the McRae and Fry's 
boat brought up the rear. 

There is nothing more trying to the nerves than to approach 
danger in the dark, a fact that I fully appreciated, while, with- 
out a word being spoken, we peered into the black night, with 
the expectation of finding ourselves at any moment under the 
broadside of a hostile ship five-fold more powerful than our 
own; for in the wide river and dark night the ram and tugs 
might readily have passed the enemy without either having 
seen the other. After a wliile, the fire-ships were seen in full 
blaze away down the river, but of the enemy, the Manassas, and 
the tugs, saw nothing till day dawned. The first object that 
met our view was the ram lying up against the bank, with 
Warley and his men standing on her rounded deck. "Well, 
what's the news?" " We struck the Richmond," was the reply, 
"but we can't tell what damage we did." The damage, as it 
turned out, was trifiing. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



29 



Just before the blow was struck Warley took his seat on a 
camp-stool to await the result, and the shock was sufficient to 
turn him and the stool over. If the Federal vessels had been 
commanded by a cool head they would have captured the 
whole of our mosquito fleet. As it was, at the first sight of a 
torch on the river they slipped their cables and made haste to 
bury their keels in the mud on the bar. There we found them 
wallowing in the morning and exchanged a few shots with 
them at long range. The Federal officer reported to Washing- 
ton that he had been driven on the bar by countless fire-ships 
and an iron-clad ram, and Commodore HoUins telegraphed to 
Richmond: "I have raised the blockade. I have peppered 
them well." 



AXOOrTiL. 




fjNTSMOUNTED from his horse, 
.^ On the summit of the hill, 
D ^ Stood our gallant General Corse, 
And he stood erect and still. 

He could see them far below. 

From the summit where he stood, 

He could see them come and go, 
All the rebels under Hood. 

Under all the far-off trees 

He could see them form their lines. 
They were gathering like bees 

Beneath the oaks and pines. 

And the hero watched them now, 
As a man may look on death. 

With a clouding of the brow. 
And a quickening of the breath. 

For the traitors were a host 
That hourly swelled and grew, 

And around him at his post 
The loyal men were few. 

Then heavenward looked he, 
And a prayer was m his eyes, 



But the banner of the free 

^Vaved between him and the skies. 

And the blue of heaven was blent 
With the stars, as if, jyst then, 

'Twas an answer God had sent 
To the leader and his men. 

Up the hill the flag of truce. 
With its folds of dingy white, 

Came as if it could seduce 
Our general from the fight. 

And the message that it brought 
From the rebel in the wood 

Was as if a coward wrought 
As a scribe for General Hood. 

" Now yield ye to our strength, 
Ere we come with might and main, 

For yield ye must at length, 

And the bloodshed will be vain." 

On the flag gazed General Corse, 
As in thought, but not in doubt ; 

Then he leaned upon his horse, 
And he wrote this answer out : — 



30 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



" Ye may come whene'er ye will, 
Ye may come with might and main, 

I will answer for it still 

That the bloodshed is not vain." 

Back, underneath the trees, 

Went the flag of truce, and then, 

Like clouds of climbing bees, 
All the valley swarmed with men. 

No pen can paint the strife, 

Nor the long and desperate fight 

When we gave life after life 
For our flag and for the right. 



We saw the false ranks reel, 

And all the bloody morn 
Tliey sank beneath our steel 

Like newly-ripened corn. 

Bleeding and faint our chief, 
But watching still, he stood, 

With a smile of grim relief. 
The retreating ranks of Hood. 

And he sighed, " I mourn the dead. 
For their blood has poured like rain, 

But 'twas true as truth I said, 
It should not be shed in vain." 



WHAT A BATTLE IS. 

¥he GalE^, fehe GaHi^er^ade, the Chapge, fehe liQfe©FY 



BY A BATTLE-SCARRED VETERAN. 





S we formed in line 

with the cool 

green woods at 
"■^ our backs, the birds 
were singing, the butter- 
flies fluttering about on 
erratic wing, and a cow 
stood under a tree to our right and lazily chewed her cud and 
switched away the flies. 

It was midsummer, and the scene was so quiet and peaceful 
that our eyes would have grown sleepy, had we not known that 
ten minutes more was to change it into a raging hell. In the 
woods behind us we could hear the tramp of regiments and 
brigades — in the forest across the peaceful meadow regiments 
and brigades of the enemy were coming into position. One 
could have crossed the meadow and scarcely noticed the prep- 
arations for the bloody struggle ready to begin. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 31 

Now came that dreadful silence which always falls upon an 
army just before the flame of destruction is lighted. It is this 
silence that makes men turn pale and tremble. If it lasts five 
minutes it seems a day. There is no loud talk — no words 
of jest. The most reckless man feels the weight of that omi- 
nous silence. If the line is to be dressed, the order is given in a 
low voice, and the men step softly. The horses feel the oppres- 
sion as well as the men. Some move uneasily about, others 
stand perfectly quiet, ears pointed forward, and eyes searching 
the woods beyond. 

Crash! Bang! Roar! 

The opening comes as suddenly as a thunder-clap, and there 
is a movement of relief up and down the line. The spell is 
broken, and men and horses are anxious to move. The song of 
birds gives place to the roar of guns, the sleepy haze to a cloud 
of smoke, and Peace stands aghast. 

The brigade to the left swings out and the one to the right is 
slowly hidden by the smoke. Bullets are singing over our 
heads and throwing up the dirt in front. 

All of a sudden the roar is increased. The enemy has planted 
a battery on the hill to our left, and is plunging shot and shell 
into the flank of all the troops on our right. Down our front 
sweeps an avalanche of destruction, breaking our own lines, 
and shattering others beyond. 

We change front to face the battery. The line in front stalks 
grimly into the smoke, and the line behind us makes its pres- 
ence known by a steady tramp! tramp! tramp! One cannot 
tell whether a single regiment or a whole brigade is moving off 
to charge the battery, for the smoke has drifted upon us until the 
tenth man to the left or right can barely be counted. We can 
hear no order, but the line goes straight ahead until clear of a 
dip in the meadow, and then it suddenly springs forward. Men 
cheer, but in that awful roar the voice of man could not be 
heard ten feet away. 

Men fall to the right and left. The line stumbles over 
corpses as it hurries on. There are flashes in the smoke-cloud, 
explosions in the air; men are stepped on or leaped over as they 
throw up their arms and fall upon the grass in agony of mortal 
wound. It is a nightmare of death. The rank and file hear no 
orders, see no officers, and yet they push on. Bayonets are fixed, 
and we are upon the guns before we see our enemy. No one has 



32 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

an order to give, and no order could be heard. The line moves 
ahead or falls back as if it were controlled by a lever, and yet 
no one can see how. Each man acts for himself, and yet all 
act together. 

There is a struggle over the guns. Men are shot and bay- 
oneted as they ram home the charges. The guns are dis- 
charged upon struggling masses not ten feet from the muzzles. 
Now our lines retreat. Why so we cannot tell. A dozen of us 
are fighting over a field-piece, shooting, stabbing, and clubbing, 
but we fall back and reform. Half of the guns are silent, 
others are pouring grape into us across a space not three hun-' 
dred feet wide. No one seems to give orders, but all at once 
our lines move forward again with a cheer. No one sees his 
right or left hand man. For the time each one is alone. The 
line bends back — doubles up — straightens out — surges ahead — 
falls back — springs forward, and again we are among the field 
pieces. Bayonets and sabers clash. Muskets are clubbed to 
deal blows after bayonets are broken. There is a terrible roar 
— a thick smoke — a constant cheering and the horrible night- 
mare forces a single man to attack a dozen. 

Ah I what is this? All at once there is a lull. Men look 
around in astonishment. Wounds unfelt five minutes ago 
begin to bring groans now. What has happened? The smoke 
drifts and the explanation is at hand. We have captured the 
guns and routed the regiment in support. It was a bayonet 
charge, resisted by bayonets, and we have won. There are ten 
acres of meadow covered with dead and wounded — with knap- 
sacks, haversacks, canteens, muskets, and swords, and yet it was 
only one simple move on the chess-board of the battle field. The 
guns are turned on the enemy, our lines reformed in rear, and 
men ask if it is really so, that we stalked in the shadow of death 
for half an hour. It seems like a dream; it might be a dream 
but for the awful sights all around us, but for the awful cries 
coming up from the wounded as thirst and pain do their work. 



|P'X-SEN"ATOR POMEROY. of Kansas, states that on March 18, 1861, he and 

^p a friend watched a delectation from the secession convention at Richmond, 
I'" saw them go to (^en. Lee's house at Arlington, heard them offer him the com- 
■!• mand of the Virginia army, heard him accept, and then hurried back to Wash- 
ington and told the President. They were referred to ]\Ir. Seward, who repudiated 
any suggestion of Lee's disloyalty, and refused to take steps. Next day Lee was 
in connnand of the rebel army. 



Thrilling Experience of a tinion Scout. 



CAPTURED ON THE STONEMAN RAID.— THREATENED AS A 
1/ -«!!l I SPY.— ATTEMPTS TO ESCAPE. 



JOHN C. HALL, BELT, MICH. 






ENERAL Capron would never surrender; but finding 
I was too badly wounded to follow him he made his 
escape with his command from the field. The severely 
wounded were removed to Confederate Colonel Has- 
kell's house. There — 
I w^ pointed out to the Con- 



[3i 




federate officers by some of 
our own men as a spy, and 
was informed that if I lived 
until the next day I would 
be hung. That night John 
Smouse, of the 2d Ind. Cav- 
alry, died from an amputa- 
tion and was buried at Sun- 
shine Church, and a board with 
my name, company, and regi- 
ment was placed at the head 
of his grave. The members of Company E, lith Wis. Cavalry, 
can testify to this. 

We were now moved to Macon hospital, where my hair and 
beard were removed and I was known as John Culbert. 

A few days before the surrender squads of our men were sent 
out to destroy railroad and other public property, but the boys 
frequently destroyed private property and confiscated articles 
of value to themselves. 

My duty as a scout brought me one day to a fine brick resi- 
dence not far from Sunshine Church, where I discovered some 
of our boys. I dismounted and went in to see what they were 
at. I found they had piled some fine furniture on a splendid 
3 (33) 



34 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

piano in the parlor and were about firing it. I tried to dissuade 
them, telling them that we were not sent down there to make 
war on defenseless women and children, or to insult them and 
destroy their property. This only aggravated the boys; they 
made for me, and it was not until I knocked three of them 
down with the back of my saber that they could understand 
me. They then left, I threatening to report them. It occurred 
to me afterwards, as I lay in hospital at Macon, why I had been 
pointed out as a spy. 

As I recovered from my wound I was allowed the freedom of 
the hospital grounds. One day I met a paroled Federal officer 
— a prominent commander in the late disastrous raid. He 
turned to the guard and said, " You had better take care of that 
fellow (pointing to me); he is a dangerous man." The guard 

replied, "Mind your own d d business. You don't run this 

thing." I soon found out why I met with so much considera- 
tion at the hands of the enemy. The people whose property I 
saved from conflagration came to the hospital, thanked me for 
what I had done for them, gave me a roll of Confederate 
money, and expressed a hope that they might give further 
assistance. 

I soon lost this soft thing, for we were sent to that world- 
wide renowned pen at Andersonville. Here I saw and heard 
things too terrible to mention. I can only say that, after all 
that has been said and written, "the half has not been told," 
and never should be. It would be too revolting for human ear. 
At the end of six weeks I made my escape. The dogs were put 
on my track, but I managed to avoid them. I wandered in the 
bush for several days; was captured near GrifHntown and taken 
back to Macon. After five days I walked out into the country 
and hid in the bushes, making my way the best I could toward 
the Union lines. After three weeks I was recaptured near 
Milieu and taken to Lawton. I remained there five weeks. I 
was sent out one morning with the wood squad and forgot to 
go back. I wandered in the woods several days and nights, 
until my feet were so frozen that I could not walk. A reb 
found me, took me to his home, made me comfortable, and in 
a few days turned me over to the proper authorities, and I was 
sent to Savannah prison. Escaping again, I went out on a rice 
plantation and remained secure for three weeks, when I heard 
they were exchanging prisoners at Charleston, so I went thither 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



35 



and gave myself up. But here I met with a sad disappoint- 
ment. I was put on a train with some other prisoners to be 
sent to Florence. We were put in a box car with two guards. 
Before reaching Florence we passed over a long trestlework. 
It was growing dark, and our guards were standing by the 
open side door lighting their pipes. Quick as a tiger I sprang 
upon them, pushed them from the car, and they fell clear off 
the bridge. Their guns went off when they struck the trestle- 
work, but I have never heard from the guards. At the first 
stop I escaped from the train, secure in the darkness. I wan- 
dered about several days, but becoming exhausted, I surren- 
dered to General Iverson, at Florence, who, in spite of all the 
unpleasantness between us at Stoneman's surrender, treated 
me very kindly. I remained at Florence until March, 1SG5, 
when I was exchanged and rejoined my old regiment. 



CARVED HIS OWN HEADBOARD. 

SINGULAR DEATH OF" A SERGEANT-MAJOR. 

BY OLIVER EDWARDS, BREVET MAJOR-GENERAL, U. S. A. 



pREMONITIONS of death in bat- 
^p tie prove false a hundred times to 
one ; but I will relate an instance 
where it proved true, that occurred 
within my own command, the 4th 
Brigade, 2d Division, 6th Corps. It 
was at the close of a charge upon the 
enemy's lines, with my brigade shel- 
tered from heavy volleys of grape and 
canister by a slight rise of the ground 
in front. The regiments were prone 
in line, and night closing in rapidl3^ 
One of my regiments (the 10th Mass., 
Col. J. B. Parsons), their time expiring 
that night, had their orders to proceed 
to City Point the next morning and 
embark for home. Sergt.-i\Iaj. George 
F. Polly at this time carved upon a 
shingle, or slab, his own headboard, as 
follows: "Sergt.-Maj. George F. Polly, 
10th Mass. Vols. Killed at Petersburg, 



Va, June 21, 1864"— the date being 
for tlie next day, when he knew the 
regiment was going home. He handed 
the headboard to a comrade and in- 
sisted that he would be killed the 
next day. At daylight next day the 
regiment was relieved from duty and 
marched to the i-ear of Sugar Loaf 
Hill, and halted to draw rations. On 
the top of the hill two negroes were on 
a scaffold to be executed for rape. The 
rebels fired one shell from a twenty- 
pound siege gun. The shell passed 
over the hill and burst. A large frag- 
ment struck Sergeant-lNIajor Polly, in- 
stantly killing him. He was the only 
man hit, and that, too, in a position 
where he seemed perfectly safe. Any 
member of the brave 10th Mass. then 
present can vouch for the truth of the 
above. 



36 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 




ON a U A R D. 




)T midnight, on my lonely beat, 
When shadow wraps the wood 
and lea, 
A vision seems my view to greet 
Of one at home that prays for me. 

No roses bloom upon her cheek — 
Her form is not a lover's dream — 

But on her face, so fair and meek, 
A host of holier beauties gleam. 

For softly shines her silver hair, 
A patient smile is on her face, 

And the mild, lustrous light of prayer 
Around her sheds a moon-like grace. 



She prays for one that's far away — 
The soldier in his holy fight. 

And begs that heaven in mercy may 
Protect her boy and bless the right 

Still, though the leagues lie far between, 
This silent incense of her heart 

Steals o'er my soul with breath serene. 
And we no longer are apart. 

So, guarding thus my lonely beat, 
By shadowy wood and haunted lea, 

That vision seems my view to greet 
Of her at home who prays for me. 




CAPTURED OURSELVES. 

CXPERIENCE of a colored team- 
ster of the Federal army at the 
battle of Bull Run, as related by him 
in Willard's Hotel, Washington : 

" De fust ting we know'd we see de 
sogers comin', and I should tink dar 
war millions on millions — de cap'n of 
de regiment sing'd out 'drap down 
dar ! drap down dar ! ' but Lor' ! 'twan't 
no use ; de bung-shells cum and took 
dar heads clear off ! Dis chile tink him 
dead for suah, and in de confusement 
Massa Gibbon's mules got loose wid six 
niggers on 'em, and run smack and 
sraoove into Massa Linkum's lines and 
captured ourselves ! " 



GENERALS FOSTER AND HILL. 

AT WASHINGTON, N. C. 

S^^HEN the Union troops were un- 
Wl'iv'l) der siege at Washington, N. C, 

truce, demanding an immediate and 
unconditional surrender of the town. 
Gen. John G. Foster, who was in com- 
mand of the place, returned the answer : 
"Say to General Hill, if he wants Wash- 
ington, come and take it. If another 
flag of truce appears before my lines I 
shall fire upon it." 

General Hill looked wistfully at the 
prize eighteen days, and then in disgust 
left it untouched. 



RECOLLECTIONS 

OF A.sr 

^ARMT • NURSE. 






MRS. M. M. C. RICHARDS. 




UCH zeal 
and linen 
T '^ were wast- 
ed in the early 
days of have- 
locks and lint- 
scraping-, and 
many yards of 
cotton expended 
in fashion- 
ing shirts and 
drawers so large 
that no Yankee 
soldier could pos- 




sibly fill one, ex- 
cept he were 
/ measured by his 
courage and en- 
durance. One 
pair fell into our 
hands, measuring 
eight feet in 
length and wide 
in proportion. 
These were laid 
aside at the sug- 
gestion of a Bos- 
ton surgeon for 



mush poultice bags into which the patient should be slipped 
and tied up. 

The first volunteer hospital was opened to the sick men of 
the 19th Ind. Regt. in the unfinished wing of the United 
States patent office, by the action of Caleb Smith, Secre- 
tary of the Interior. This was in its beginning a rude affair, 
and when we entered with Mrs. Almira Fales into the rough, 
comfortless wards we were dismayed. Bat her cheerful order, 
"Go to work, girls, wash their faces, comb their hair, do 
what you can," — and her salutation to the men, " Now, boys, I 
guess you'll get well; I've brought some young ladies to 
see you," — lent an atmosphere of cheer to the scene, for the 
moment at least. The sick boys were lying on rough boards, 
or on tiles placed against the walls, with or without mattresses 

(37) 



38 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

as it happened. Surgeons and hospital stewards and women 
worked in a confused way without order or direction. But 
from disorder and discomfort gradually came a well ordered 
hospital, which was opened to patients from all regiments, but 
still called the Indiana hospital. 

But that was in the summer of '61, and we could smile at the 
wants of wounded men then. Later on came pathetic scenes at 
which we did not smile — one when Tyler, of Michigan, was 
brought in, accidentally shot through both knees while gather- 
ing wood for a camp-fire. The surgeon trying to save both 
limbs waited too long, and one sorrowful day the nurse found 
the usually cheerful fellow crying like a child at the decision of 
the surgeon just made known to him. " My leg has got to be 
amputated to-morrow; I wish it could be done to-day if it has 
got to come off " — and then the thought of going home crippled, 
it was almost better not to go at all. "But you'll stay by me, 
won't you?" On the promise given in response to this he relied. 
The next day, stretched upon the rude amputating table, he 
looked about for the nurse, and taking her hand said, "Now 
let me go to sleep," and so seemed content till the blessed 
chloroform deadened all thought or care. Though the opera- 
tion was successful, and all the first conditions good, a second- 
ary hemorrhage occurred after the first dressing, and we could 
only sit by the poor fellow as his life ebbed away. In the 
winter, small-pox appeared and many of the boys were sent to 
Kalorama, to the government pest-house. The first case I re- 
member to have been a red-headed man who begged to have 
his hair brushed to ease the pain in his head. He presently 
remarked that he guessed that "brush would take the hide off." 
The surgeon passing by stopped to examine the pustules that 
appeared, and hastily advised no more brushing. The man 
was at once removed to an outer hall, and the ambulance car- 
ried him away. 

The summer of 'G3 found better hospital accommodations for 
the army, and the Indiana hospital was closed. Now came a 
chance to go "to the front." All the world was crying " On to 
Richmond," and on to Richmond we essayed to go. Mrs. 
Almira Fales had already made an expedition to the army 
at Savage Station, and there distributed to the soldiers 
bountiful supplies furnished generously from the North. She 
had returned to Washington to replenish her stores, and 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 39 

now proposed a second journey. She remarked that " those 
boys had been fed on Unt and bandages long enough; I'm 
going to take them some goodies." The writer was, to 
her great delight, allowed to accompany Mrs. Fales as 
her assistant, and, armed with passes from the Secretary of 
War, we went to Fortress Monroe, only to learn that no farther 
could we go at present. We were ordered to proceed to the James 
river, casting anchor about dark alongside the gun-boat Port 
Royal. A little boat's crew came to visit us and the crowd on 
deck are electrified by the news we hear from them. " Mc- 
Clellan cut to pieces, the left wing twenty-three miles back, 
and the whole army on the skedaddle." The captain of the 
Port Royal gives the parting advice to Captain Woods of the 
Daniel Webster to " hurry up in the morning, keep all the ladies 
below, and don't be surprised to see a shot across your bows any 
time." 

July 1, I wake early to find ourselves steaming rapidly up the 
James river. Reach Harrison's Landing at seven o'clock. 
Find crowds of sick, wounded, and worn-out men engaged in 
the recent battles. It is not long before Mrs. Fales and I are 
among them. None of these were very seriously wounded, but 
all were seriously hungry and demolished the rations with the 
skill of veterans. Mrs. Fales's supplies furnish all the pro- 
visions we have for the sick, and she deals them out lavishly all 
day long, forgetting even to eat any dinner herself. For my 
own part I am busy helping here and there. Some wounds I 
wash and bandage. One shattered finger I wash and leave 
covered till a surgeon comes. He takes out his knife and 
before I know it the finger is left there for me to pick up and 
throw away! One man was struggling in vain to dress a 
wound on his shoulder. Offering to help him I found him so 
in need of cleaning up generally that I proposed that he should 
wash his face first. "Wash my face," said he, as if the idea 
were new, " why I haven't washed my face since the 24th of 
June!" " Well," said I; "would you like to try it for a change?" 
"I guess so." he answered; "you see we hadn't any water to 
spare for our faces down on the Chickahominy; we drank 
water that we wouldn't give to a dog at home." I brought him 
a basin of water, soap, towel, and a clean shirt and left him to 
these luxuries. You should have heard him laugh when I 
came again to find him. " Don't know me now, I'm so clean, 



40 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



do you?" This story is good to tell to those who are fond of 
quoting that other story of the young lady who went one morn- 
ing into a city hospital and proposed to bathe the head of a 
sick soldier. The soldier declined her offer with thanks, but 
she insisted, saying, " Let me bathe your head, I want so much 
to be useful." " Well," he sighed, "you can if you want to so 
bad, but you are the fourteenth one as has done it this 
morning." 

CONIPLKXELY UNNERVED. 



^">^5HE follo\ying comes from a 
iL O (^^I'^iid Army man iu Maine : — 



It was at the battle of 
<^' ' Gettysliurg, when the bullets 
were falling like hail, and the shells 
were shrieking and bursting over our 
heads in a way to make the bravest 
heart tremble, that a private dropped 
out of the ranks and skulked back 
toward the rear. He was well under 
way, when, unfortunately for him, he 
was met by General Slocum coming to 
the front. 

" ' What are you doing here ? Get 
back to your post ! ' the General 
shouted. 

'' The poor fellow stopped still and 
trembled like a leaf, but made no reply. 



" ' Get back to your post, you misera- 
ble coward ! Aren't you ashamed of 
yourself to be skulking back here when 
you should be in front with your brave 
comrades ? ' 

" Still the man made no reply, but 
commenced to cry like a year-old in- 
fant. 

" ' You infamous, sneaking coward! ' , 
shouted the infuriated Genei'al, ' get 
back to your post ! I'll ride you down 
like a dog. Why, you are nothing but 
a baby.' 

" ' I-T-I'll t-t-tell you what, General,' 
said the blubbering fellow, ' I'd g-g-give 
anything just now if I was a b-b-baby; 
and i-i-if I had my choice I'd rather be 
a female b-b-baby.' " 



SHERIDAN'S OPINION OF GRANT. 



If SAW General Grant for the first 
11 time on the battle field at Shiloh. 
General McPherson, whose picture 
liangs there, was with him at the time. 
Although we had belonged to the same 
regiment we had never met before. 
After the Mississippi campaign I met 
General Grant a second time, and after- 
ward I was thrown with him more or 
less. When he became lieutenant gen- 
eral, he placed me in charge of the 



cavalry service of the Army of the Po- 
tomac. I accompanied him to Florida 
and to Mexico, and our acquaintance was 
not only intimate, but almost lovable. 
He was a far greater man than people 
thought him. He was always able, no 
matter how situated, to do more than 
was expected of him. That has always 
been my opinion of General Grant. I 
have the greatest admiration for him, 
both as a man and as a counnander. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



41 



GAPTaREB * BY ^^ A ^^ GIRL. 

A Confederate who talked Love to the Wrong Person and was Punished. 

CORPORAL TUCKER, OF MO. 



>lfT was on Price's first scouting raid time or two, and she said she was afraid 

into Missouri. We were pushing 

tlie Yanks pretty hard, and I and 
1^ a couijle of Missouri boys were sent 



out to take a turn tlirough Hickory 
county way. Price wanted horses pretty 
bad, and we was on a tour of observa- 
tion like. Well, we had ridden along 
about three days, puttin' up at night 
at houses where the women folks were 
all right, and we finally put up with a 
widow named Alibone. The men with 
me knew she had a son in the Federal 
army, but they knew her and we put 
up there anyhow. She treated us very 
nice, gave us corn pone and sow-belly, 
and all she asked of us was to make as 
little noise as possible, 'cos her daugh- 
ter Lindy was not feelin' well, and had 
gone to sleep. Lindy was in the next 
room — up in Missouri they don't have 
more than two rooms in a house, — and 
the beds all bein' together the old lady 
and the girl slept together. We hadn't 
turned in and were sittin' by the hearth 
when Lindy got up and dressed and 
came in. She was a pretty big girl, 
but good looking, and she had a hood 
on. Well, sir. she sat right up to me, 
makin' fun of our army, but doin' it in 
a nice way, and the other fellows went 
to bed, leavin' us there. It was a 
bright moonlight night and she said 
she'd like to take a stroll, so we 
strolled. Well, pretty soon I had my 
arm around her waist and kissed her a 



we Confederate officers was a set of 
gay deceivers. All this time we were 
gettin' away from the house and to- 
ward the horse pond. I remember 
Lindy sliowin' me how the moonlight 
sparkled on the ripples of the horse 
pond, and telliu' me that she thought 
that was the sort of a bridge we'd go 
up to heaven on when we came to die. 
I was just going to say suthing appro- 
priate when suthin struck me right 
straight in the mouth and chin, and 
keeled me over. When I came to, 
Lindy was sittin' on me, with pretty 
near all of her apron stuffed down my 
throat, and she was tearin' her dress, 
which she had taken off, into long 
strips. You needn't look shocked, fel- 
lows, she had a nice suit of soldier 
clothes on underneath. Fact is, she 
wasn't a she at all, but a lie of the worst 
kind. Well, young Alibone bound me 
up with those calico rags, took our 
horses out of the stable, helped me 
on to one and tied my feet under- 
neath, and started with me to the 
Federal camp, about ten miles away. 
I wouldn't have minded it so nuich, 
but every once in a while he would 
turn around and scratch me under 
the chin with his finger, and call me 
" honey " and " ducky," and then he'd 
go on about the rifts in the clouds, 
and the stars shining, until it made 
me sick. 



At Gettysburg'. — The list of casualties among general and field officers at 
Gettysburg exceeded that of any other contest in which the Army of the Poto- 
mac ever participated. 



BArri2E 0F PEA RIBGE. 

March 7, 1862. 

A TKRRIKIC STRUaOLE KOR VICTORY. 




(BY ONE WHO WAS THERE.) 





HE battle opened by an attack upon the right of 

the Union line near Elkhorn Tavern, where the 

r^ 24th Missouri was stationed. Colonel Carr at once 

ip^ advanced to the relief of this outpost, which movement 



brought on the 
battle. Curtis's 
gallant divi- 
sion moved 
into position 
under fire, and 
Davis was or- 
dered to sup- 
port it, but a 
sudden attack 
on the left 
changed t li e 
direction of 
the latter to 
steadv lines. 



i%^^>i 



/< 



^\ 




the relief of 
O s t e r h a u s. 
General Curtis 
says: " The 
battle raged in 
the center with 
terrible fury. 
Colonel Davis 
held the posi- 
t i o n against 
fearful num- 
bers and our 
troops stood 
or charged in 



The fate of the battle depended on success 
against this flank movement of the enemy, and here, near 
Leetown, was the place to break it down. The fall of Generals 
McCulloch, Mcintosh, and other officers of the enemy, who fell 
early in the day, aided us in our final success at this most critical 
point; and the steady courage of officers and men in our lines 
chilled and broke down the hordes of Indians, cavalry, and 
infantry that were arrayed against us. AVhile the battle raged 
in the center the right wing was sorely pressed, and the dead and 
wounded were scattered over the field.' Colonel Carr sent for 

(42) 



. BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 43 

re-enforcements and I sent a few cavalry and my body guard, 
with the little mountain howitzers, under Major Bowen. These 
did good service at a most critical period. I urged Colonel Carr 
to stand firm — that more force could be expected soon. Subse- 
quently Colonel Carr sent me word that he could not hold his 
position much longer. I could then only reply by the order 
'persevere.' He did persevere, and the sad havoc in the 9th 
and 4th Iowa and Phelps's Missouri and Major Weston's 24th 
Missouri, and all the troops in that division, will show how 
earnest and continuous was their perseverance." 

Sigel, detecting McCulloch's movement to join forces with 
Price, attempted to intercept it with cavalry and three pieces 
of artillery. By a vigorous onslaught of the Indian cavalry 
our guns were captured, the cavalry routed, and the way 
opened for McCuUoch to obtain for his infantry the cover of a 
dense wood, on the west of which was a large open field. Here 
ensued a protracted and fearful struggle between McCulloch 
and the forces under Osterhaus, who, by hard fighting, held his 
position until the arrival of Davis with his division, when, by a 
gallantly executed charge, the Confederates were driven from 
the field. In the crisis of the struggle McCulloch dashed for- 
wa,rd to reconnoiter, and fell a victim to his rashness. Almost 
at the same moment Mcintosh fell while leading a cavalry 
charge upon a Union battery. Deprived of these two favorite 
generals the shattered forces of the enemy retired in dismay to 
rally on Price's corps. 

The conflict raged with unremitting fury on the right and 
center, where Price, in a determined attempt to carry that posi- 
tion, had pushed his troops into the fight regardless of loss. At 
3 P. M. General Curtis ordered Sigel to re-enforce the 3d and 
4th Divisions. 

Colonel Carr, covered with blood from three wounds, with one 
arm disabled, was falling slowly back, contesting the ground 
step by step. Many of his field officers had fallen; and the 
ground in his front, covered with wounded and dying, told 
how stubborn had been the resistance of the heroic 4th 
Division. The 4th Iowa, falling back for ammunition, 
dressing on its colors in perfect line, was met by General 
Curtis, who ordered the regiment to face about and hold its 
position until re-enforcements should arrive. Colonel Dodge 
rode forward and explained that his men were out of car- 



44 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

tridges. "Charge with the bayonet, then," said Curtis. The 
men faced about at the order, and, with a ciieer, pressed for- 
ward. The enemy, not liking the glittering steel, fell back, 
and the lost ground was won. 

Arboth planted his artillery in the road and opened on the 
enemy. The 2d Missouri deployed and pressed forward. 
The shades of night were falling, but the fight raged with 
increasing vehemence. Colonel Osterhaus had moved to the 
support of General Davis, who, with a portion of his division, 
was still engaged on Carr's left; but it was too late when he got 
into position to open fire, and his weary troops bivouacked 
upon the field. 

On the right the firing continued until the batteries ran out of 
ammunition (the Confederates firing the last shot), when the 
two divisions arrayed along the edge of a piece of timber with 
fields in front, sought rest in sleep. 

The loss on Curtis's right had been compensated by victory on 
his left. The discipline of Carr's division prevented anything 
like panic. They had been forced back by superior numbers, 
but had held together, and, in proportion to numbers, the divi- 
sion was as strong for service as before the conflict began. 
Van Dorn's headquarters were at Elkhorn Tavern, where 
Curtis had been the previous morning. Each army held its 
opponent's line of retreat. There was no recourse but to fight 
for their communications with their respective bases. It is 
said that several officers' of the Union army met at the 
headquarters of a division commander, and sending for the 
colonel of a cavalry regiment, directed him, in case of defeat, 
to hold his men in readiness to escort them to the open country 
in the rear of the Confederate lines. They were, however, 
prevented from rivaling the exploit of Floyd and Pillow, by a 
timely return of reason and the dawn of day. 

The fight of the following morning was brief, but was hotly 
contested. 

With the rising sun the Union troops renewed the con- 
test with Price. Davis's division opened the fight from one of 
his batteries, which was replied to with terrible correctness by 
three of the Confederate batteries posted where they would do 
the most execution. The entire Union line now advanced. 
The dark blue line of the 36th Illinois in front steadily rose 
from base to summit of the rido:e whence the Confederate bat- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



45 



teries had dealt death and destruction to the Union ranks. The 
12th Missouri also rushed into the enemy's lines, bearing off a 
flag and two pieces of artillery. 

The roar of artillery was deafening, for every gun continued 
firing until it was captured or driven back. When Van Dorn 
determined to withdraw from the field, he left Col. Henry 
Little, with a Missouri brigade, to hold the field as long as 
possible. For two hours this command held their position in 
support of several batteries. Unshaken by the tremendous 
artillery fire converged upon them, they remained until their 
ranks were decimated, their artillery horses killed, and their 
guns dismounted by the terrible fire. Then onward crept the 
skirmish line, and behind them the artillery. The range short- 
ened, no charge by the Confederates could save them now. A 
sudden rush and rapid firing by the skirmishers drove them to 
the shelter of the woods, whence they were dislodged by a 
charge all along the Union line, and the retreat of Van Dorn's 
army was revealed to the astonished gaze of the Union troops. 
Van Dorn retired with his beaten army south of the Boston 
Mountains, where Curtis could not follow him, 

THE HEROIC McCOOK FAMILY. 




I^HE venerable mother of that dis- 
^m tinguished family of soldiers, the 
" fighting McCooks," of Ohio, has 
been laid to rest with her group of heroes 
in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati. 
She had twelve children, nine of them 
sons, and eight of the sous were at 
some time during the War of the Re- 
bellion engaged in the military service 
under the Union flag. One who was 
educated at West Point became a major 
general, two who joined the volunteer 
army from civil life became brigadier 
generals. Three of her sons and her 
husband were killed by the enemy. 
Charles Morris McCook, a private, was 
killed in the first Bull Run battle, 21st 
July, 1861. Brig.-Gen. Robert L. Mc- 
Cook was murdered by guerrillas in 



Tennessee, having gone in his ambu- 
lance, to which he was confined by 
sickness, a short distance ahead of his 
brigade. When Morgan made his raid 
into Ohio, ISIaj. Daniel McCook, al- 
though sixty-seven years old, white 
haired, and not connected with the 
army, joined the forces that pursued 
him, and received a moi'tal wound in 
the fight on Buffington Island, July 21, 
1863. Brig.-Gen. Daniel McCook w'as 
killed in the attack on Kenesaw Mount- 
ain, June 27, 1864. 

The other five soldier sons survived 
the perils of that war, but one of them 
afterward fell in an Indian fight. Of 
Mrs. JNIcCook's twelve children, but two 
sons and two daughters survived theii' 
mother. 



JUST <s LIKE * LINCOLN. 

A Twelve- Dollar Telegram and the Answer it Brought. 

November. 1:S01. 

THOS. J. STEVENS, 1st Sergt. Co. B, 122d 111. Inf. Vols. 





N October, 1864, I was acting adjutant at the con- 
valescent barracks in St. Louis, Mo. There were 
400 in the barracks awaiting the return of the 16th 
corps from its pursuit of Price. Politics ran high. 
About one-third of the boys were for " Little Mack," 
the others strongly in favor of the re-election of 
"Uncle Abe." Nearly all the Western states were 
represented in the barracks. About one hundred 
of us were Illinois men, which state, owing to its 
copperhead legislature of the previous year, did not permit its 
soldiers to vote in the field or away from home. Most of the 
loyal states had made provision for their soldiers to vote in the 
field in all general elections. As the day of election drew near 
the anxiety of the " boys " to exercise " the rights of freemen " 
became intense. Rebel sympathizers had spread the report that 
the McClellan men would not be furloughed to vote against " Old 
Abe"; but orders were issued by the President to furlough as 
many men belonging to states refusing their soldiers a vote 
away from home as the good of the service would warrant and 
for such length of time as would be necessary to return home 
and get back to their commands. In compliance with this 
order, thousands were allowed to go home and vote — vote as 
they pleased — without fear or reward from their superior 
officers. All were treated alike, whether Republicans or Dem- 
ocrats. The result was that many soldiers who had intended 
voting for "Little Mack," voted for " Uncle Abe," because he 

(46) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 47 

had given them the opportunity of voting against him — such are 
the perversities and contradictions of human nature! Lieuten- 
ant Chapman, of my regiment, was in command of our bar- 
racks. When we began to look for a chance to go home to 
vote, no one could be found who commanded him lower in 
rank than the department commander, who was several hun- 
dred miles away in the field after Price, where it was impossi- 
ble to get an order from him for furloughs. His adjutant- 
general at St. Louis decided that he could do nothing, and told 
us that he had telegraphed to the Secretary of War, and could 
get no reply, and we must give it up. 

Having heard of Mr. Lincoln's kindness of heart for the "boys " 
and his disregard for red tape, it was suggested to the lieuten- 
ant that we telegraph the President, stating our case briefly 
and asking him to authorize the lieutenant to give us furloughs 
— the Illinois men for five days, and those from more distant 
states for ten days. This was not received with favor except 
by the lieutenant and a few of the more sanguine believers in 
"Uncle Abe." I wrote out the dispatch and read it to the as- 
sembled crowd. The Lincoln men said it was useless, as the 
President would not notice it unless it came through the regu- 
lar channels. The McClellan men said they knew they would 
not be furloughed anyway, if others were, and that they would 
go to no trouble about it; but wait till they did get a chance, 
and they would show the Abolitionists w^hether they could run 
things, and whether a white man wasn't as good as a nigger! 
After a long discussion, in which the lieutenant and I assured 
them that all should be treated alike, it was decided to send a 
man to the telegraph office, three miles away, and find out 
what it would cost to send it to Washington. The man returned 
with the astounding information that it would cost twelve dol- 
lars! None of us had been paid off for several months, and were 
strapped, so the raising of such a large amount proved a serious 
undertaking; but finally this sum was made up and the dis- 
patch sent. Next evening an answer came, signed by the 
President, directing Lieutenant Chapman to furlough the men, 
as requested in our message. Great was the rejoicing when this 
was read. Three cheers and a tiger were given with a vim 
for " Old Abe," the McClellan men outvying the Lincoln men, 
if possible, in their demonstrations of delight at the good news. 
Nearly all the McClellan men declared that they would never 



48 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



vote against "Uncle Abe," and so far as I could learn, not one 
of them did. 

Lincoln was far wiser than any of his generals, and knew 
better than they how to reach the hearts of his soldiers, because 
his own generous heart was always concerned for the rights, 
the needs, the privations, and the sorrows of "those who bore 
the burden of the battle," that "a government of the people, by 
the people, and for the people, should not perish from the 
earth." 



SEXTON BROWN AND NATHANIEL P. BANKS. 




^NE Sunday, during the war, the 
late Sexton Brown of Grace 
Church, New York, was perform- 
ing the duty of grand usher at 
the church, when a soldier, who 
presented a seedy appeai-ance, 
walked up the main aisle and 
took a seat near the chancel. 
All at once there was a buzz among the 
congregation, and the sexton stepped 
up to the stranger, and tapping him on 
the shoulder, said : — 

" I will show you to a seat, sir." 
The soldier rose and followed Brown, 
who led him to a rear pew. As he en- 
tered the pew and was about to sit 
down, the stranger i-emoved his faded 
overcoat and disclosed a handsome, 
brand-new military suit, with the straps 



of a major-general upon the shoulders. 
Then there was another hum of con- 
versation and a rustling of silks as the 
congregation moved in their pews to get 
a view of the man. Again Sexton Brown 
approached the soldier, and said : — 

" General, I'd be pleased to give you 
a good seat." 

" Oh, never mind," said the military 
gentleman. " I'm much obliged to j^ou. 
I've been among the commoners for the 
last year or two, and I guess I can 
worship God back here among them as 
well as up in front." 

Brown retired as gracefully as possi- 
ble, and was quite surprised before the 
service was over to learn that the sol- 
dier in the seedy overcoat was Maj,- 
Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks. 



EIGHTY-SIX BATTLES, 



It is said that some of the regiments 
of the 5th Army Corps participated in 
eighty-six battles — no flag can possibly 
hold all the names. We venture to say 
A/ that thei-e never was a corps in tJ 
w any other army that can show ^ 
uL such a gallant record as this. tl 



BUTLER " BOTTLED UP. 



The term " Bottled Up," as applied to 
Gen. Butler, did not come from Gen. 
Grant but Gen. Barnard. Gen. Barnard 
reported to Gen. Grant the condition 
of affairs in Gen. Butler's department, 
and, drawiu';- a sketch of the locality, 
said he is effectually " bottled up." 




APRIL 7, 1862. 

The Second Day's Fight— Greatest Battle Ever Before Fought 
Ou This Continent. 

BY ALEXANDER S. JOHNSTONE, FIRST SERGT. CO. H, U. S. ARTILLERY. 

gUIHE battle of Sliiloh on the Gtli and 7th of April, 
1862, was, at the time, the greatest battle ever 
fought on this continent. On the first day the 
Union forces sustained an overwhelming defeat, 
the camp and garrison equipage of the army, 
several batteries, and nearly three thousand 
prisoners being captured by the Confederates. On the sec- 
ond day the Union army gained a decisive victory, re- 
capturing in turn their camp and garrison equipage, and 
twenty pieces of artillery. It will be my province to treat of 
the second day's battle, writing only what came under my 
observation. The brigade to which our battery belonged 
(Boyle's, of Crittenden's division) arrived at Savannah, Tenn., 
at 12 M., on Sunday, April 6. 

Although the sound of artillery was heard all the morning, 
we little dreamed that a great battle was in progress until we 
entered Savannah and saw the wounded, who had arrived in 
transports from the field. Shiloh was nine miles by water, but 
in an air line only five miles distant. Nelson's division, which 
arrived ahead of ours, left Savannah at 1 p. m. for the scene 
of action, marching up the right bank of the Tennessee river. 
As the road which they had to traverse was swampy, the 
artillery had to be left behind. It was about three o'clock 
before a steamer arrived at the wharf for our battery. 

Of Buell's forces, there were on the field at daybreak, Mon- 
day, Nelson's division in line of battle, the most of Crittenden's 
division, and none of McCook's. Buell was in consultation 
with Grant during th e night at Sherman's headquarters. The 
4 (49) 



50 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

agreement arrived at was that Biiell should make the attack on 
the enemy's right at daybreak. Nelson's skirmishers could be 
heard far in the front. 

Crittenden's division was in the rear of Nelson's, Ammen's 
brigade was on the left, Bruce's in the center, and Hazen's on 
the right, moving forward in line of battle. Buell halted it 
to allow Crittenden's division to complete its deployment on 
Nelson's right. Nelson again advanced, but finding the Con- 
federates strongly posted on his front fell back, having no 
artillery. During the above movements our battery was or- 
dered forward to take position some three hundred yards from 
it and diagonally to the right. 

Our battery consisted only of four guns, two three-inch rifled 
Rodmans and two twelve-pound howitzers. We halted in front 
of a clearing about ten acres in extent; the two rifled guns 
went into position on the left of the clearing, the two howitzers 
on the right. The two rifled. guns opened fire, throwing shells 
far in towards the Confederate lines, but the enemy's sharp- 
shooters began picking off our men. Having lost four men in 
about ten minutes the section limbered up and got out of the 
way. The section on the right unlimbered for action, but 
seeing a body of Confederates advancing as if to charge, it 
limbered up also, both sections joining and taking a new posi- 
tion to the right, and forward of the clearing. We had thrown 
the gauntlet of defiance. 

The Confederates soon opened with two batteries, and a 
spirited artillery fight took place, Bartlett's battery coming to 
our relief. In a short time the Confederate batteries withdrew 
and we ceased firing. A lull of thirty minutes took place. 
Suddenly there opened on our front the most terrific musketry 
fire I ever heard. It was a continuous roar. Our troops, 
though green, withstood the assault bravely, our battery firing 
with great rapidity. The Confederates finally retreated from 
our front. On our left Nelson's division was being roughly 
handled. Three batteries had opened on liis front. Buell sent 
our battery to his relief. Firing with great rapidity and 
accuracy, we silenced the center battery, when Hazen's brig- 
ade charged upon it, capturing the guns. 

The two opposing batteries opened upon them, driving them 
back beyond their original line. Nelson was sorely pressed, 
the Confederates advancing along his whole front. There 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 51 

was danger of his flank being turned, so Buell sent forward 
Terrell's battery. It had thus far taken no part in the action. 
Dashing past Ammen's line it quickly unlimbered and opened a 
rapid fire, but the opposing battery, concentrating its fire upon 
it, compelled it to retire. Ammen's brigade had fallen back, but 
re-enforced by a regiment sent to his aid by General Buell, it 
now moved forward to the ground where the enemy had been. 
The most of McCook's division had arrived by this time and 
were placed on Crittenden's right. Buell in person led our bat- 
tery to a new position, the 13th and 19th Ohio supporting us. 

There was then a quiet, premonitory of a coming storm. It 
soon came; so suddenly and with such boldness, that the 
13th and 19th Ohio broke for a time and passed to the 
rear. Lieutenant Parsons gave orders to the men of the 
battery, "Unhitch the traces and save the horses," but 
Captain Mendenhall exclaimed: "We lose all or none!" 
Running back to our guns we opened a rapid and accurate fire 
with canister on the advancing line, which kept it at bay. 
The 13th Ohio, under Colonel Smith, rallied to our relief, 
dashing to our front when our battery ceased firing. In a 
short time the Confederates opened a terrific fire on a part of 
Nelson's line, where Terrell's battery was, and essayed to capt- 
ure it. Fixing prolonges, it kept up a rapid fire as it retreated. 
Jt was making a gallant fight, which called forth the admira- 
tion of our battery. The cannoneers at one of his guns were 
all either killed or wounded, and volunteers from the 6th 
Ohio took their place. A regiment was sent forward to 
Nelson's relief, and with rapid volleys the Confederate line 
at that point was sent reeling back in disorder. We were now 
pressing the Confederates steadily back along the whole line, 
and our battery took its last position. 

A storm was brewing in our front which we little expected. 
It came in the shape of the most galling musketry fire we had 
ever encountered. All the canister for our howitzers was 
expended. Some rifle canister being left we used that, and 
when the last canister was fired the captain gave orders to 
cease firing. The Confederates were, however, retreating 
along the whole front and the second day's battle of Shiloh 
was won. 



: *>5-^(I(^^^-3^:=$^.- 



Battles ^ ^esFies ^ at ^ §EifoE. 

April 6,. 7, 1S62. 

A Day of Southern Success, followed by a Day of Disaster. 

HOW OENERAZ JOHNSTOJfFELL.—BEAUItEGARD'S APPEAJRANCE 
AMONG THE YELLOW JACKETS. 



By B. F. sawyer, Colonel 24TH Alabama Regiment. 




T was a beautiful Sabbath morning at Shiloh. The air 
was fresh and balmy as a morning in June. Our 
forces consisted of General Polk's 1st, General Bragg's 
2d, General Hardee's 3d, and General Breckinridge's 



reserved corps, 
with the cav- 
alry division 
of General 
Gardner, mak- 
ing a total ef- 
fective force of 
some 4 0,000 
men. General 
Johnston's plan 
of battle con- 
sisted of three 
lines in the fol- 
lowing order: 




General Har- 
d e e 's corps, 
s t r e n gthened 
b y Gladden's 
brigade of 
Bragg's corps, 
constituted the 
first line, ex- 
tending from 
Owl Creek on 
the left to Lick 
Creek on the 
right. This 
line fell per- 



pendicular to and across the Corinth road, a distance of three 
miles. The second line, consisting of the remainder of Bragg's 
corps, was drawn out parallel with, and two hundred yards to 
the rear of the first, and was to conform its movements to the 
first. The third line was similarly disposed, i. e., five hundred 
yards in the rear of the second, and was to conform to its move- 
ments. This line consisted of Polk's corps. Breckinridge's 
corps was massed in the rear of the center of Polk's, and was 

(52) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 53 

to move forward in column, ready to be deployed when and 
wherever support should be needed. 

The woods in the immediate front of our brigaJe and 
through which we had to pass to reach the enemy, were a 
tangle of swamp, bushes, and brambles, and exceedingly diffi- 
cult to penetrate. Now and then a small patch of cleared 
ground around a cabin relieved the toilsome scramble through 
the chaparral. At sunrise we were ordered to move forward. 
We had not proceeded far before the roll of musketry in front 
told that the work of death had begun. Then came the pecul- 
iar sharp ringing report of the twelve pound Parrotts, and soon 
another and another, each greeted by a yell of defiance by our 
eager and thoroughly aroused men. Ascending a little slope 
we encountered General Beauregard and his staff. The 
general had a magnificent coach and four — a la Napoleon — 
drawn out on the hillside. 

Captain Dewberry was a good fighter, but he had supreme 
contempt for the finesse drill; and their obstruction, stretch- 
ing the full front of his company, filled him with perplexity. 
Had it been a four-gun battery confronting him and his yellow 
jackets, he would have been at no loss for action, but that 
gaudy coach, with its caparisoned team, flanked too by the 
general and his staff in all the glory of gold lace and 
feathers, was more than his "tactics" had ever provided for. 
Without knowing how to flank it he marched his company 
squarely against it, when perforce the men halted and looked 
around in confusion. The regiment was aligning upon the 
colors, and of course the sudden halt of Co. C, confused the 
entire line. "Move forward. Captain Dewberry," thundered 
Colonel Blythe, mortified at the ignoble confusion of his line 
under the very eyes of General Beauregard. But how was 
Captain Dewberry to move forward with that formidable ob- 
struction before him? At length, he turned to one of the tinsel- 
bedecked aide-de-camps and roared out: " Take that damned 
old stage out o' the way or I'll tumble it down the hill." 

The battle in front had become general. All along that fear- 
ful three mile line the rattle of musketry and the roar of artil- 
lery was deafening the air. Soon the ambulances, toiling 
under their loads of wounded and dying, came groaning by, 
and with them straggling soldiers telling horrible tales of 
bloody work, "just over the hill." One little hero, a mere 



54 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

child, — who ought in decency to have been with his mother, — 
who belonged to Co. D, 16th Miss., came up and reported his 
regiment cut up, and requested permission to fall in with us. 
He was given a place in the line, and throughout that bloody 
day the little fellow fought like a man. 

We had now reached a point opposite the Iowa camps, di- 
rectly in front of the enemy's right center. Before us lay an 
almost impenetrable thicket of brambles and briers. Having 
cleared a "jungle" we crossed at a double-quick the little field 
beyond, when, rising to the crest of a sharp hill, we were 
brought face to face with the battle. 

Never shall I forget the grandeur of that sight. The enemy's 
camps lay before us, spreading far and wide, dotting the well 
cleared slope. McClernand's division was in our front. Dark 
masses of men clothed in blue were moving in soldierly pre- 
cision before us; some wheeling into line, others deploying, and 
others recumbent on the ground, awaiting in tiger-like stillness 
our approach, to hurl death in our faces; the deafening roar of 
the guns; the unearthly shriek of the shells; the rattle of mus- 
ketry; the venomous "pringe" of the bullet, all conspired to 
make it a scene the grandest ever mortal eye beheld. 

Then came the order, thrilling every heart — " By the left of 
companies, forward into line; double quick, march." No order 
was ever more handsomely executed. Each company filed into 
line as deliberately as if that long line of sullen blue that lay 
scarcely three hundred yards in front was a line of friends in- 
stead of foes. Co. A, Captain Sharp, had scarcely attained posi- 
tion before the enemy opened fire; like a simoom's breath, it 
hissed through our ranks; our line moved forward until, within 
one hundred paces of the line of blue, and then we were lost in 
the blaze, the thunder, and frenzy of battle. 

The entire day was one of repeated and hard-earned triumph. 
After each fierce shock the Federal lines were formed, only to 
be broken and hurled back again. It was a fearful carnage, 
and none but heroes could have formed and reformed as the 
Federals did that day. A foeman, less worthy, would have 
been swept from the field by the first triumphant onslaught. 
By noon we had driven McClernand from his tents, and by 3 
p. M. the entire Federal force was broken. 

A ball struck and pierced the calf of General Johnston's left 
leg. Undisturbed by a flesh wound he continued to give 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 55 

orders to his staff. Soon, however, the profuse hemorrhage 
attracted the attention of his friends, when it was discovered — 
too late — that an artery had been cut. 

But, glorious as was that Sunday of battle, its honors were 
bought at a fearful price. Co. I carried into the battle thirty 
men — of these six were killed and seventeen wounded. The bal- 
ance of the regiment suffered in proportion. Our gallant Colonel 
Blythe was killed and Lieutenant-Colonel Herron mortally 
wounded; Captains Humphries and Dewberry — brave old 
Dewberry! — Lieutenant McEachim, Lieutenant Hall, and Lieu- 
tenant Allen, with eighty men, were killed, and 120 were 
wounded out of an effective force of 330 rank and file. A mus- 
ket ball through the right knee tripped me up as the enemy's 
line was broken. A captured gun, one of Burrows's 14th Ohio 
Battery, served as an excellent ambulance, and thrown astride 
its grimy back I rode out of that terrible fight as proudly as ever 
rode a Roman conqueror of old. 

That night our army lay upon the field. So complete did 
they consider the victory that but little thought was given to 
the morrow. The night was given to plundering, and richly 
were those camps furnished. Such a lavish abundance of good 
things had never been spread before unrestrained hands. 

At length the morning came, not as the morning before, but 
dark, gloomy, and chill. The sun of Austerlitz had set; it was 
the sun of Waterloo struggling through the gloomy mist of the 
morn. The clouds hung dark with threatening rain. The very 
air seemed weighted with gloomy forebodings. It was nearly 
nine o'clock before the roll of musketry and the roar of artillery 
was heard. And when it did come it had not that animated 
ring which characterized the struggle of the day before. Our 
troops, demoralized by the night's revel, were hastily thrown to- 
gether in mixed commands. All day I lay upon my back, unable 
to move a single muscle without a painful effort, and listened to 
that sham of a battle. At length about three o'clock in the 
afternoon the firing ceased. Then a courier came and ordered 
the provost guard to move off with the prisoners. Soon an- 
other came ordering all the wounded who could walk or be 
removed to leave, as the army was about to retreat to Corinth. 



The last battle fought by the 2d | battle of Boydtown Plank Road, Octo- 
Corps, under General Hancock, was the | ber 27, 1864. 



56 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 




GENERAL BUTLER AND THE 
(UNION) SCHOOL BOYS. 




WHEN this noted soldier was in 
command at New Orleans, two 
Union boys called on him at head- 
quarters to make a complaint. The last 
day of school was approaching, and 
all the boys in their class had been 
compelled to prepare essays. The 
Union boys had discovered that the 
teacher, who was a violent secessionist, 
had been assisting the sons of Con- 
federate parents, and had given them 
the cold shoulder. 

Having stated the cause of their 
grievance, the great and good man 
turned his blind eye toward them and 
said : — 

"And what would you have nie to 
do, my fine lads ? " 



" Whatever you think best," was the 
reply, " we came for your advice." 

" Well, don't you think it would be 
possible for you to hook the little rebel 
boys' manuscript at the last moment, 
and thus leave them several miles be- 
hind the band wagon ? " 

" We could try," they both exclaimed. 

" That's well said, my children," ob- 
served the great captain. " Never take 
anything away with you that you can- 
not carry. Do your best, and if you 
get into trouble send for me." 

The boys did get away with the essays, 
and received much applause themselves, 
while their associates were publicly rep- 
rimanded for their carelessness in mis- 
laying their valuable effusions. 




THE BENEFITS DP THE CIVIL WAR. 



RELATED BY GENERAL GRANT. 



Mjf^HERE was no time during the re- 
(p bellion when I did not think, and 
often say, that the South was 
more to be benefited by defeat than 
the North. The latter had the people, 
the institutions, and the territory to 
make a great and prosperous nation. 
The former was burdened with an insti- 
tution abhorrent to all civilized peoples 
not brought up under it, and one which 
degraded labor, kept it in ignorance, 
and enervated the governing class. 
With the outside world at war with 
this institution, they could not have 
extended their territory. The labor of 
the country was not skilled, nor allowed 



to become so. The whites could not 
toil without becoining degraded, and 
those who did were denominated " poor 
white trash." The system of labor 
would have soon exhausted the soil and 
left the people poor. The non-slave- 
holders would have left the country, and 
the small slaveholder must have sold out 
to his more fortunate neighbors. Soon 
the slaves would have outnumbered the 
masters, and not being in sympathy 
with them, would have risen in their 
might and exterminated them. The 
war was expensive to the South as well 
as the North, both in blood and treas- 
ure ; but it was worth all it cost. 



JACKSON ON THE MARCH. 



August, 186S. 



A Three Days' Ride with "STONEWALL."— How he was Cheered in Pantomime. 



BY BK. W. BITJI»GH»r. 





►N August 22, 1862, quite a sharp artiUery fight took 
place at Freeman's ford, with some loss to both 
sides. The Fed- ^ ^^ Gaines' barn, and 

eral batteries JPs'^? ^^^^^ shell killed 
succeeded in Jfe««»^\j^^^ two men and 

throwing a shell \^W^-Jr^h. wounded sixteen, 
into the head of El well's col- t^ ^ A^ One of the wound- 
umn just after it had passed ^^^^^^^&~ ed I dressed, and 
left with little hope of ever seeing him alive again. He had 
three holes in his right side, a portion of the liver had been 
torn out and one of his ribs had been broken. Besides all these 
wounds, the cartridge box he wore had exploded and made a 
large bruised and burned place on his back. His clothing was 
torn to shreds. I did my best to dress his wounds and laid him 
tenderly under the shade of a dogwood tree by the roadside, as 
I believed, to die. But he did not die; he fell into the hands of 
some noble women, got well and went to the front again. 
When the war was ended he returned and married his nurse — 
a noble girl, who had watched and tended him through his 
terrible sufferings. 

As we rode past Mrs. McDonald's that day there were several 
ladies in the yard who had come up from houses near the river 
for protection from the cannonade. A cavalryman, brother of 
one of the ladies, was evidently pointing us out. We distinctly 
heard one of the ladies inquire: " Which is General Jackson?" 
He answered: " There, riding right in front. The lady replied 
in a loud tone of disappointment. " That's not General Jackson; 

(57) 



58 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

that's Dr. Hudgin! don't I know Dr. Hudgin?" Both the Gen- 
eral and myself burst out laughing, and I said, "General, you 
will have to show yourself, for everybody in this neighborhood 
has heard of 'Stonewall Jackson.'" At this he turned his 
head and taking off his cap, made a bow that for modesty and 
diffidence would have done credit to a school boy. When 
this little incident occurred General Jackson was telling me the 
object of his movement and what he expected to do. He said, 
" I am making a rapid flank movement to get into Pope's rear, 
at or near Bealton Station, where, I understand, the ground is 
admirably adapted for a sudden debouche. You notice that our 
men are marching very quietly. You hear no noise. I issued 
strict orders last night for all noise to be suppressed. No drums 
or bugles are to sound, no flags be displayed, nor cheering by 
the men be allowed, and that is why you saw that rather amus- 
ing pantomime just now." 

We had passed a regiment halted in the woods, who took off 
their caps, waving them in the air and going through all the 
motions of vociferous cheering, but which he had silently ac- 
knowledged by doffing his old gray cap. The enthusiasm 
among the men wherever he went was marvelous. A few days 
after when the occasion for silence was over, I noticed an oc- 
casional cheer, and asking what it meant, was told by some 
wag: "Oh, it's only General Jackson or a rabbit, both of which 
generally 'bring down the house' whenever they turn up." 
As we rode along I told General Jackson of seeing Sigel's corps 
pass through Jeffersonton on the Wednesday previous. This 
seemed to interest him, and he quickly said, "I will give $500 
in gold to a reliable man who will cross the river to-night and 
find out which road he took ^fter passing the springs." I re- 
plied: "General, I believe I can get you that information, but I 
will not put my life in jeopardy for money; I promise you shall 
know all you wish before sunrise to-morrow." 

When I promised, I had no idea that I should be so fortunate 
as to be able to give him that information before sunset that 
evening. As a fact Sigel had moved in the direction of Bealton 
Station, but had gone by RulFs hill toward Rappahannock Sta- 
tion. It was the artillery of his command that we engaged at 
Freeman's ford, and he was following up General Jackson's 
movements so closely that he was actually in the same field with 
us then, and only about three hundred yards off at the very time 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



59 



we stopped for lunch that day. I went to General Jackson at 
Beaver Dam creek and reported what I had found out about 
the Federal movements. 

The high water broke up General Jackson's plans, and dur- 
ing the first part of Saturday I knew he was very uneasy about 
Early's brigade. He withdrew all the troops from the north of 
the Rappahannock on Saturday evening. The Federals moved 
up in front of us that night and on Sunday morning, a little 
after daylight, they opened fire near Dr. Scott's house. I was 
sitting on horseback talking to General Ewell, when the first 
shot was fired, and so well had they taken our range that the 
first shot threw dirt all over the whole party. We got out of 
the way in a hurry and a furious cannonade was opened which 
lasted through the greater part of the day. I went during the 
day near to Hart's mill to see if the enemy had occupied Poney 
Mountain. After this, with many expressions of kindness and 
good wishes for myself, we parted and never met again. 




A SILENT TRIBUTE TO GENERAL GRANT. 

"jack" ADAMS, SERG,-OF-ARMS, STATE HOUSE, BOSTON. 



IN the rotunda of the State Capitol 
in Bo.ston the tattered battle-flag.s 
^ of the Massachusetts regiments have 
been preserved ever since the war. 
They were arranged in stands and re- 
tained in position by silken cords. 
When the news of Genei'al Grant's 
death was received in Boston, minute 
guns were fired on the Common, di- 
rectly in front of the State House. 



The vibratory jar of the firing loosened 
the silken cords already rotten from 
age, and as the first gun boomed forth 
its melancholy tidings, the few persons 
who were in the State House rotunda 
at the time were awe-stricken to see a 
sudden movement among the old battle- 
flags. With one motion they all tilted 
forward as though giving a marching 
salute to the memory of the dead hero. 



A Terrific Battle.— The battle of i 
Allatoona, Ga., Oct. 5, 1864, is said to € 
have been, for the number of troops I 
engaged, the most terrific of the war. 



Union Paper. — The Memphis jBw/Ze^m 
was the only Union paper published in 
the seceded states. It was edited by 
Wm. M. €onnelly, who died in 1884. 



R Battle Scarred Veteran. 

FORTY^EIOHX WOUNDS AX GETTYSBURG! 

BY GENERAL BLACK, PENSION COMMISSIONER. 




i»^4, yoHN F. CHASE went into the civil war from 
I Augusta, Me. He was a rugged farmer's boy 
•^ eighteen years of age, when, prompted by a sense 
of loyalty, he rallied to his country's defense. 
He was the fifth to enlist in this state under the first 
call for troops in 1861. Four brothers of his also en- 
listed, two of whom were killed and two were 
wounded. He took part in all the battles of the Potomac, from 
Bull Run to Gettysburg. During his entire term of service the 
post of duty and of danger always found him present. This is 
the testimony of his captain, which has often been expressed. 
He never aspired to rank, not even to the chevrons of a corporal. 
He was content in simply being cannoneer No. 1 of the 5th 
Maine Battery. For nearly three years Private Chase went 
through every arduous and trying campaign of his battery 
without a scratch, to be at last battered and broken by a rebel 
shell on the bloody field of Gettysburg. He bears forty-eight 
wounds as the mementos of that battle. It scarcely seems 
credible that one could have passed through such a fearful 
baptism of blood and still survive. The story may be told in 
a few words: — 

" The 5th Maine Battery was attached to the 1st Corps under 
General Reynolds. It was the third day of the fight, and the 
battery was posted on Seminary Hill. The rebel General Pickett 
was making his famous charge on our left center, and a terri- 
ble artillery duel was in progress. The battery was in a hard 
place, being between cross fires. The air was full of missiles of 
death. The heroic Chase, with his shirt sleeves rolled up and 
his face black with powder and smoke, was in the act of 
ramming home a cartridge when a rebel shell fell about three 

(60) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 61 

feet from him and burst. The fragments flew in all directions. 
Chase was thrown nearly a rod from his gun and fell insensi- 
ble. His clothes were literally stripped from his body. His 
right arm was blown off, his left eye literally torn from its 
socket, while his breast and shoulders were gashed with 
wounds. He was carried to the rear. Two days after, when 
the dead were buried, he was being conveyed with others to the 
grave. A groan from him attracted attention, and he was dis- 
covered to be alive. Upon recovering consciousness, the first 
words that came from his lips were, ' Did we win the battle?' 
Private Chase's pluck at Chancellorsville received the com- 
mendation of General Hooker. His battery was facing a most 
destructive fire from the enemy's batteries. All the officers and 
men of his battery being either killed or wounded, he, with an- 
other brave comrade, fired his gun seven times after the other 
guns of the battery had ceased work. Then, the horses having 
been shot or disabled, the gun was dragged off by the two, 
to prevent its capture by the enemy, who shortly afterwards 
occupied the position that had been vacated by our retreating 
forces." 

Private Chase talks with enthusiastic earnestness about the 
splendid record of the 5th Maine Battery, but in his modesty 
rarely if ever alludes to the gallant part he bore in its many 
sanguinary contests. 



HowLD Up. 



-.^OLOiVTEL DAST, of Georgia, an their companies, and as we were shoot- 
officer in the Confederate Army, ing away, they, seeing that unless they 
^^^ relates the following : " I have surrendered, they were certain of anni- 
'^a''^ always had a great respect for hilation, showed the white flag. Unfor- 
the valor of the Massachusetts tunately, this was not seen by my entire 
troops and particularly the 9th command, and several shots were fired 
Regt., which fought us like after I had given the order to cease. In 
tigers. It so happened that dur- the midst of this desultory firing there 
ing several engagements we were pitted came a strong Hibernian voice from 
against each other, and there was much out of the bushes : — 
desperate wort, I can assure you. " ' Howld up, yez scoundrels ! We 
During one of our encounters, we were have suri-indered, and yer killiu' Dim- 
fortunate enouah to surround one of micrats.' " 



Shooting ''Provost Guards 
at new-berne, n. c. 



W. p. DERBY, 27th MASS. 





^^URING the summer of 18G2 the 23d Mass. served 
a part of the time on "provost duty" in New- 
Berne, N. C. While in the discharge of such 
't duty four members of that regiment had been 
\f^ wounded by being fired upon by inmates of houses in the 
city. At 9.30 P. M., July 25th, a fifth man was seriously 
wounded in the groin. The house was immediately surrounded 
by two companies of the 23d Regt. and six men and one woman 
were made prisoners. The following morning the regiment 
appeared before the house — a large, square, two-story building — 
and knocking out the underpinning attached strong ropes to 
the purlin plates and, after a deal of pulling, drew it over upon 
its side, when the whole house collapsed into a mass of debris. 
As the house fell over, the band struck up the inspiriting tune, 
"Bully for you! Bully for you!" The fence met a fate similar 
to the house, and then the grounds were stripped of tree and 
shrubbery. The gardens, too, met a most desperate pruning, 
and when the regiment marched back to its quarters, a more 
perfect picture of desolation could hardly be found. After this 
affair the "provost guards" at New-Berne suffered no farther 
harm. 



-«^ 






^■H 



^^ 



NOT ENOUGH TREES. 



MISSIONARY RIDGE. 



jp SOLDIER, telling his mother of 
I^^SS the terrible fire at Chickamauga, 
r was asked by her why he did not 
get behind a tree. " Trees ! " said he ; 
•' there wasn't enough for the officers." 



The battle of Missionary Ridge, 
Tenn., Nov. 25, 1863, says Major 
Wright, of the 36th Alabama, " resulted 
in such a rout as had never been pre- 
viously known of a Confederate Army." 



(62) 



Running Forts Jackson and St. Phillip. 



A.PRII:. 34, 1863. 



The Enemy's Blazing Fire-Raft Matched by Farragut. 




GEN. B. F. BUTLER. 



the spring of '63, one tropical night, so calm 
and still that a low mist hung clingingly to 
the shores and across the wide rolling waters 
of the Mississippi, in two divisions up and 
down the stream lay the Federal fleet; the flag- 
ship Hartford, two miles below Fort Jackson, 
a casemated work, armed also with guns eyi 
barbette. Sheltered by the edge of the forest 
which grew down into the water, lay twenty-one schooners, 
each having a thirteen inch mortar on her deck, which for 
nearly eight days had been throwing a shell at the fort every 
twenty minutes. 

The second division of the fleet, under command of Cap- 
tain Bailey, lay parallel to Farragut's division, nearer the 
left bank of the river on which was Fort St. Phillip, a strong but 
not a casemated work. Both these forts were fully armed with 
eight and ten inch Columbiads and six inch rifles, the heaviest 
ordnance then known. The only sailing ship, the sloop of war 
Portsmouth, had been towed into position in the early nightfall 
and moored where her batteries could command the water 
battery of Fort Jackson. 

Every preparation had been made for silencing the enemy's 
guns as the fleet passed the forts. The port guns of the first 
division were loaded with grape and canister and their muzzles 
depressed so as to reach the embrasures of the casemates of the 
fort, which lie just above the water which flows by its base. 
The guns on the right side of that division were left unloaded 
because Bailey's division would be between them and Fort St. 

(63) 



64 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Phillip. In his division the reverse was done; the right guns 
were loaded with grape and canister, and the left guns, next 
Farragut's division, were unloaded to prevent accident. 

Between the fleet and the forts lay the remains of the enor- 
mous chains floated on schooners which had been anchored 
across the river forming, as the commanders of the forts 
thought, an impassable barrier to navigation. By a daring 
reconnoissance this chain had been cut and the cables of the 
schooners slipped, so that the chains on both sides were floated 
down parallel to the line of tlie shore, and instead of an obstruc- 
tion, the chains became a guide to the channel on either hand. 

It is now two o'clock in the morning. The mortars for hours 
had ceased their play. The forts are silent. Nothing is seen 
but the lights of the fleet. A red light goes to the truck of the 
top gallant mizzen-mast of the Hartford, the signal to make 
sail. The clanking of windlasses only are heard to the music 
of the boatswain's whistle. In almost the time in which it can 
be told, the two divisions of the fleet were steadily steaming up 
the river against a four-knot current at a speed of eight knots. 
The minutes seemed almost hours before a single gun flashing 
from Fort Jackson showed that the movement was known. 
Twenty mortars burst forth together, sending their heavy shells 
flying through the air in parabolas of nearly two miles, light- 
ing up the heavens with their blazing fuses, which began to 
rain down in broken fragments upon the fort. At the same 
moment the Portsmouth opened upon Fort Jackson with her 
starboard battery, keeping up a rapid and continuous fire until 
the last vessel had passed. 

Fort St. Pliillip opened fire upon Bailey's division, followed by 
all the guns of Fort Jackson opening fire upon Farragut's divi- 
sion, which he boldly steers within three hundred yards of its 
walls; and as each ship came within short range, the guns were 
served with the utmost quickness of fire, so that the booming 
cannon made one continuous deafening roar; the rolling smoke 
in the misty night wrapped everything in darkness impenetra- 
ble, save as the flashes flamed out like lightnings from a low- 
hanging summer cloud. Eleven shells from the mortar-boats 
were seen flying high in the air, at one time, thence rolling 
down a stream of flre and shot upon the ill-fated cannoneers of 
the fort. Bravely they stand to and serve their guns amid 
death-shot falling thick and fast on every hand. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 65 

Under the fire of Bailey's division, that of Fort St. Phillip has 
been nearly silenced, and his division was passing her guns in 
safety. Protected by casemates, the gunners of Fort Jackson 
did not give Farragut's division so easy success. The fire of 
Fort Jackson is incessantly kept up vi^ith precision, so that it 
seemed impossible that the Hartford, a wooden ship, could 
live while passing through that volcano of fire. 

See! The heavens light up with something different from the 
flashing red of artillery. A new danger threatens the daring 
Farragut. A fire-raft comes sweeping along the current at 
four miles an hour. What is a fire-raft? A flatboat some two 
hundred feet long by sixty wide, filled high with cotton picked 
open, saturated with rosin, pitch, and turpentine, intermingled 
so as to burn the more hotly, and interlaced with cross-piled 
sticks of light wood, all ablaze, fiercely burning, fanned by 
the light wind. Such a fire-raft is sent broadside upon the 
Hartford, so well directed that it engages her bows and the hot 
flames set fire to her fore-rigging and are burning the foremost 
sails of the flag-ship. This new enemy is met; and while the 
crew of the port guns ply their batteries upon the foe, the rest 
of the men, organized as a fire-brigade, fight the fire on the blaz- 
ing spars of their ship. Boats are lowered and manned, grap- 
nels thrown on board the burning raft, which is towed away to 
float harmlessly down the river, as the Hartford passes up be- 
yond the range of fire of the forts. Two of the Federal gun- 
boats only of the whole fleet came drifting down disabled, 
which told those below that the others had passed the forts in 
safety. 

Hardly had the fire been extinguished when a new peril met 
the Federal fleet. The iron-clad ram Manassas came tearing 
down from above, forced by current and steam, upon the fleet. 
She is nearest the steamer Mississippi, for whose side she is mak- 
ing with her fearful prow. The Yankee commander, Melanc- 
thon Smith, was equal to the occasion. He calls out: "Flag 
officer, I can ram as well as she; shall I ram her?" "Go for 
her," is the answer, and the stem of the Mississippi struck the 
iron-clad under the full momentum given by her powerful 
screw; the ram is disabled, and a few shot crash through her 
armor and set her on fire and she drifts down a useless hulk. 

But this is but an episode, for there is a fleet of the enemy's 
gunboats quite equal in number although not the equal in 



G6 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



strength of the Federal force, lying in wait above the forts to 
renew the conflict. The fight is of short duration. Thirteen 
of the enemy's vessels were sunk or disabled, and the others 
fled up the river to New Orleans. 

The morning wind sprang up and rolled away the smoke, 
and as the sun rose up in the heavens the fleet was seen lying 
at anchor above the forts with flags of rejoicing flying from 
every mast-head. 



a^S^-^1 




^^Ss9 



ORIGIN OF THE CONFEDERATE BATTLE-FLAG. 

By GENERAL JOE JOHNSTON. 



^T the battle of Bull Run the 
stars and bars proved a failure 
because they were so much like 
the Union colors. Indeed, both 
armies mistook their enemies for 
friends, and vice versa. After 
the battle I had resolved to dis- 
card this flag, and called for each 

regiment to procure its state colors. 

This they were not able to do, and I 




^ 



MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. 




I^N" officer of the Union army re- 
lates that on one occasion after 
a charge upon the enemy's 
^)>v works, a fierce encounter, and a 
J fall back for re-enforcement, a 

bright young Irish soldier was 
found to have a rebel flag capt- 
ured from the foe. Approaching him he 
said : " I'll send that to the rear as one 
of our trophies ; give me the flag." 
" Sure, I'll not give it ye," said Pat ; 
'•if ye are wanting one, there's plinty 
av 'em behind that ridge over beyant, 
where I got this. Sure ye can go and 
get one for yerself." 



asked tlie array for new designs. Among 
those presented one by General Beaure- 
gard was chosen, and I altered this 
only in making it square instead of ob- 
long. This flag was afterward adopted 
by the Confederate armies. It was a 
Greek cross of blue on a red field, 
with white stars on the blue bars, and 
was designed by Colonel Walton of 
Louisiana. 



:i^ 



PICKET IINE EXCHANGES. 




,HAT regiment do you belong 
to? "asked a Union picket of 
a rebel picket. " The 14th 
North Carolina," answered the 
Johnny. " And yours, Yank ? " " The 
1 14th Rhode Island." " You're a liar, 
there isn't that many people in the 
State," returned the Johnny. 



SAVED THE ARMY. 



It was General George H. Thomas 
who saved the Army of the Cumber- 
land at the battle of Chick amauga. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



C? 



ANEGDeTES 0r L0GAN, 

GENERAL STOiME. 



j^N one of the important charges of 
the war, General Logan was in ad- 
vance, and had just reached the 
crest of a hill, when a bullet came 
spinning along and scooped a handful 
of wadding from the breast of Gen- 
eral Logan's coat, the uniforms being 
heavily wadded in those days. " There's 
a coat which cost nie seventy-five dol- 
lars, and I suppose it's ruined," was the 
General's cool comment when he had 
time to look over the situation. 

A very interesting anecdote of how 
General Logan disobeyed ordei\s at At- 
lanta was given. Logan's command was 
among the reserves. The fighting was 
all along the line, and the attack imme- 
diately in front of Logan was so sudden 
and furious that the forces were driven 
back. No time was left for a formal 
call to arms. The first that General 
Stone saw was General Logan riding 
up furiously, shouting, " Fall in, fall 
in ! forward ! " The men sprang up 
singly and by squads, picking up what- 
ever arms were nearest at hand, while 
the General continued to shout with 
all his might, " Forward, forward, and 
yell like h — 1 ! " " Where's our regi- 
ment?" the men were asking, but the 
General called out, " Never mind your 
regiment ; never mind your commands ; 
forward, and yell like ! " General 



Stone had cut tlie bridle of the near- 
est horse, and was in the saddle riding 
at his utmost speed, with the men 
rushing up on the double-quick, but 
still Logan wjfs ahead, shouting, " For- 
ward, forward, faster ! Yell like 

the , hoys, and take those lines." 

The Confederates, dazed and surprised 
by the impetuous attack, fell back like 
a flock of turkeys, and the man who 
knew how to take responsibility when 
to hesitate was disaster, occupied the 
front with his reserves. 

GEXERAL LOGAX ANT) THE BATTEHY- 
iMAN. 

It was on this same field of Atlanta 
that an incident occurred which caused 
much laughter among the boys. A 
Confederate batteryman, plucky to the 
last, w'as coming forward with his guns 
to take position, when Genei'al Logan, 
who was without his pistol, borrowed 
one from General Stone, and riding up 
to the commander, said in imperative 
tones, " If you move one foot further, 
I'll blow your brains out," and aimed 
the pistol directly at the officer's head. 
It was too much for the batteryman 
and the warrior turned in an instant. 
The batteryman did not observe what 
the boys did, that the cylinder from the 
pistol had dropped out just as the Gen- 
eral took aim. 



Youngest General.— Gen. W. 

P. Roberts, of N. C, was the 
youngest brigadier general in 
the Confederate Army. 



Originality. — Farragut's method of 
attack in capturing New Orleans was 
as original in conception as it was brill- 
iant in execution. 



8i*Klegg*on«Drill. 

Work with the Awkward Squad of Company Q. 

PAINFUL TRIBULATIONS. 




^HEN Si Klegg went into active service with Com- 
pany Q of the 200th Ind., his ideas of drill and 
tactics were exceedingly vague. He knew that a 
" drill " was something to ntiake holes with, and he 
understood that he had been sent down South to 
make holes through people. He handled his mus- 
ket very much as he would a hoe. A "platoon" 
might be something to eat, for all he knew. He 
had a notion that a " wheel " was something that 
went around, and he thought a "file" was a screeching thing 
used (once a year) to sharpen up the old buck saw. 

The fact was that Si and his companions hardly had a fair 
shake, and entered the field at a decided disadvantage. It had 
been customary for a regiment to drill a month or two in camp 
before being sent to the front; but the 200th was rushed off to 
Kentucky the very day it was mustered. Cold chills were run- 
ning up and down the backs of the people in the North on 
account of the invasion by Bragg's army. The regiment 
pushed after the fleeing rebels, but wherever Buell's army 
halted to take breath, " Fall in for drill! " was shouted through 
its camp three or four times a day. It was liable to be called 
into action at any moment, and it was indispensable to begin 
at once the process of making soldiers of those tender-footed 
Hoosiers. Most of the officers of the 200th were as green as the 
men, though some of them had seen service in other regiments; 
so, at first, officers and non-commissioned officers who had 
been in the field a few months and were considered veterans, 
and who knew, or thought they knew, all about tactics that 

(68) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 69 

was worth knowing, were detailed from the old regiments to 
put the boys through a course of sprouts in company and squad 
drill. 

One morning after leaving Louisville, word was passed 
around that the regiment would not move that day, and the 
boys were so glad at the prospect of a day of rest that they 
wanted to get right up and yell. Si was sitting on a log, with 
his shoes off, rubbing his aching limbs and nursing his blisters, 
when the orderly came along. 

'"Company Q, be ready in ten minutes to fall in for drill. Stir 
around, you men, and get your traps on. Klegg, put on them 
gunboats, and be lively about it." 

" Orderly," said Si, looking as if he hadn't a friend on earth, 
" just look at them blisters; I can't drill to-day." 

" You'll have to, or go to the guard house," was the reply. 
"You'd better hustle yourself, too! " 

Si couldn't think of anything to say that would do justice to 
his feelings; and so, with a few muttered words that he didn't 
learn in Sunday-school, he got ready to take his place. 

As a general collision of the armies of Buell and Bragg was 
hourly expected, it was thought best for the 200th to learn 
something about shooting. If called suddenly into action it 
was believed the boys could " git thar," though they had not 
mastered company and battalion evolutions. 

Company Q was divided into squads of eight for exercise in 
the manual of arms. 

The man who took Si's squad was a grizzled sergeant, who 
had been "lugging knapsack, box, and gun" for a year. He 
realized his responsible functions as instructor of innocent 
youths, having at the same time contempt for their ignorance. 

"Attention, squad!" and they all looked at him in a way that 
meant business. 

" Load in nine times — load! " 

Si couldn't quite understand what the "w" meant, but he 
had always been handy with a shotgun, to the terror of the 
squirrels and coons, and he thought he would show the ser- 
geant how spry he was. So he rammed in a cartridge, put on 
a cap, held up his musket, blazed away, and then went to load- 
ing again, as if his life depended upon his activity. For an 
instant the sergeant was speechless with amazement. At 
length his tongue was loosened, and he roared out: — 



70 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

" What in the name of General Jackson are you doing, you 
measly idiot! Who ordered you to load and fire your piece? " 

" I — I th — thought you did," said Si, trembling as if he had 
the Wabash ague. " You said for us to load nine times. I 
thought nine loads would fill 'er chuck full and bust 'er, and I 
didn't see any way but to shute 'em off as fast as I got 'em in." 

" No, sir! I gave the command according to Hardee, ' Load 
— in — nine — times'; and ef yer hadn't bin in sich a hurry you'd 
'a' found out what that means. Yer'll git along a good deal 
faster ef you'll go slower. Yer ought ter be made ter carry a 
big rail for two hours." 

Si protested that he was sorry, and wouldn't do so again, and 
the drill went on. The master went through all the nine ' ' times " 
of "Handle — cartridge!" "Draw — rammer!" etc., each with 
its two or three " motions," It seemed like nonsense to Si. 

" Boss," said he, " I kin git 'er loaded in just half the time ef 
yer'll let me do it my own way! " 

"Silence!" thundered the sergeant. "If you speak another 
word I'll have ye gagged 'n' tied up by the thumbs! " 

Si had always been used to speaking right out when he had 
anything to say, and had not got his "unruly member" under 
thorough subjection. He saw that it wouldn't do to fool with 
the drill sergeant, however, and he held his peace. But Si kept 
thinking that if he got into a fight he would ram in the cart- 
ridges and fire them out as fast as he could, without bothering 
his head about the " one time and three motions." 

"Order — arms!" commanded the sergeant, after he had ex- 
plained how it was to be done. Si brought his gun down along 
with the rest like a pile driver. 

" Ou-ou-ouch!" exclaimed the victim of Si's inexperience. 

"Didn't do it a-purpose, pard," said Si, compassionately, 
" 'pon my word I didn't. I'll be more keerful after this." 

His suffering comrade urged upon Si the propriety of exercis- 
ing a little more care, but he determined that he would manage 
to get some other fellow to stand next to Si after that. 

" Shoulder — arms! " ordered the sergeant, and the guns came 
straggling up into position. Then after a few words of instruc- 
tion, " Right shoulder shift — arms! " 

" Don't you know your right shoulder? " said the sergeant, with 
a good deal of vinegar in his tone, to Si, who had his gun on 
the " larboard " side, as a sailor would say. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



71 



"Beg yer parcVn," said Si; ''I always was left-handed. I'll 
learn if yer only giinme a show." 

" Silence! " again roared the sergeant. "One more word, sir, 
and I icill tie ye up, fer a fact! " 

The sergeant got his squad down to an "order arms " again, 
and then, after showing them how, he gave the order, " Fix — 
bayonet!" 

There was the usual clicking and clattering, during which Si 
dexterously managed to stick his bayonet into the eye of his 
comrade, whose toes were still aching from the blow of Si's 
musket. Si assured him he was sorry, and that it was all a 
mistake, but his comrade thought the limit of patience had 
been passed. So he confidentially informed Si that as soon as 
drill was over he was going to "pound the stuffin' " out of him, 
and there wouldn't be any mistake about it, either. 

When the hour was up the captain of the company came 
around to see how the boys were getting along. The upshot 
of it was that poor Si was immediately organized into an 
" awkward squad " all by himself, and drilled an extra hour. 

" We'll see, Mr. Klegg," said the captain, " if you can't learn 
to handle your arms without mashing the toes and stabbing 
the eyes out of the rest of the company." 



SOUTHKRN CURRENCY. 



WM GLANCE at the market quota- 
^^ tions in a Mobile paper of Marcli 
Jj[ 11, 1865, shows that apples, in the 
Confederate currency, were sixty and 
seventy dollars a bushel ; bacon was 
four dollars a pound, and butter six to 
eight dollars ; Shelby coal was two hun- 
dred dollars a ton, and Confederate 
candles w^ere ten dollars a pound ; coffee 
was sixty dollars a pound, and calico 
twenty dollars a yard ; corn meal was 
twelve dollars a bushel, cow peas were 
sixteen dollars, while flour ranged from 
one dollar and thirty cents to two dol- 



lars a pound, and wheat was thirty 
dollars a bushel ; fresh beef was two 
dollars and fifty cents a pound, and 
fresh pork two dollars ; lard was three 
dollars and fifty cents, and tallow five 
dollars; quinine was two hundred dol- 
lars an ounce, and morphine three hun- 
dred and fifty dollars ; onions were 
seventy dollars a bushel, and Irish po- 
tatoes ninety dollars, while salt was 
thirty-two dollars a bushel, and whisky 
was quoted at from sixty-five to one 
hundred and fifty dollars a gallon, ac- 
cording to quality. 



72 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



GENERAL CUSTER'S FAREWELL ORDER. 



Headquarters 3d Cavalry Division, 
Appomattox Court House, Va., April 9, 1865. 



Soldiers of the 3d Cavalry Division : 
/^^V, ^ '^ITII profound gratitude to- 
^"C^Jl^V/ ward the God of Battles, 
(r-^^^J^) by whose blessings our 
^ enemies have been humbled 

and our arms rendered triumphant, 
your commanding general avails him- 
self of this, his first opportunity, to ex- 
press to you his admiration of the 
heroic manner in which you have passed 
through the series of battles which to- 
day resulted in the surrender of the 
enemy's entire army. 

The record established by your in- 
domitable courage is unparalleled in the 
annals of war. Your prowess has won 
for you even the respect and admira- 
tion of your enemies. During the past 
six months, although in most instances 
confronted by superior numbers, you 
have captured from the enemy, in open 
battle, one hundred and eleven pieces of 
field artillery, sixty-five battle-flags, and 
upwards of ten thousand prisoners of 
war, including seven general officers. 
Within the past ten days, and included 
in the above, you have captured forty- 
six pieces of field artillery, and thirty- 
seven battle-flags. You have never lost 
a gun, never lost a color, and have 
never been defeated; and notwitlistand- 
ing the numerous engagements in which 
you have borne a prominent part, in- 
cluding those memorable battles of the 
Shenandoah, you have captured every 
piece of artillery which the enemy has 
dared to open upon you. The near ap- 



proach of peace renders it improbable 
that you will again be called upon to 
undergo the fatigues of the toilsome 
march or the exposure of the battle 
field ; but should the assistance of keen 
blades, wielded by your steady arms, 
be required to hasten the coming of 
that glorious peace for which we have 
been so long contending, the general 
commanding is proudly confident that, 
in the future as in the past, every de- 
mand will meet with a hearty and will- 
ing response. 

Let us hojje that our work is done, 
and that, blessed with the comforts of 
peace, we may be permitted to enjoy 
the pleasures of home and friends. 
For our comrades wlio have fallen, let 
us cherish grateful remembrance ; to 
the wounded, and to those who lan- 
guished in Southern prisons, let our 
heartfelt sympathy be tendered. 

And now, speaking for myself alone, 
when the war is ended and the task of 
the historian begins — when those deeds 
of daring which have rendered the 
name and fame of the 3d Cavalry Divi- 
sion imj^erishable are inscribed upon 
the bright pages of our country's his- 
tory, I only ask that my name may be 
written as that of the commander of 
the 3d Cavalry Division. 

G. A. Custer, 
Brevet Majoi'-General Commanding. 

Official : L. W. Baunhart, Captain 
and A. A, A. G. 




Peace Proposition. — The boldest and most significant peace proposi- 
tions that appeared up to November. 1864. were offered in the Rebel 
Congress by Mr Leach, of N. C. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



73 



MENDING THE OLD FLAG, 



WILL CARLETON. 



fN the silent gloom of a garret room, 
With cobwebs romid it creeping, 
From day to day the old flag lay — 
A veteran worn and sleeping. 
Dingily old, each wrinkled fold 

By the dust of years was shaded ; 
Wouiids of the storm were upon its 
form ; 
The crimson stripes were faded. 

'Twas a mournful sight in the day twi- 
light. 
This thing of humble seeming. 
That once so proud o'er the cheering 
crowd. 
Had carried its colors gleaming ; 
Stained with mold were the braids of 
gold 
That had flashed in the sun's rays' 
kissing ; 
Of faded hue was its field of blue. 
And some of the stars were missing. 

Three Northern maids and three from 
glades 
Where dreams the southland weather, 
With glances kind and their arms en- 
twined. 
Came up the stairs together. 



They gazed awhile with a thoughtful 
smile 
At the crouching form before them ; 
With clinging hold they grasped its 
folds, 
And out of the darkness bore them. 

They healed its scars, they found its 
star*. 
And brought them all together, 
(Three Northern maids and three from 
glades 
Where smiles the southland weather ;) 
They mended away through the sum- 
mer day, 
Made glad by an inspiration 
To fling it high at the summer sky 
On the birthday of our Nation. 

In the brilliant glare of the summer air, 

With a brisk breeze round it creeping. 
Newly bright through the glistening 
light. 

The flag went gladly sweeping ; 
Gleaming and bold were its braids of 
gold 

And flashed in the sun's rays' kissing ; 
Red, white, and blue were of deepest hue, 

And none of the stars were missing. 



MINE EXPLOSION. 



CAVALRY FIGHT. 



General John W. Turner is 
said to have been the only divi- 
sion commander who led his 
men on the day of the mine ex- 
plosion, or Battle of the Crater, 
July 30, 1864. 





The most important cavalry 
fight of the war, says the Con- 
federate Colonel Ball, of the 1 1th 
Virginia Regiment, was at Tervillan, 
where General Rosser's dash saved the 
day. 



RKCOLLKCTIONS 



OF 



(leHerar (B^st^r €it IDij^efieste^r. 



SEPT. 19, 1864. 



A LIVELY FIGHT IN WHICH HUNDREDS OF BRAVE MEN FELL. 



Inspiring Charge of Five Mag-niflcent Brigades. 

(BY ONE WHO WAS THERE.) 




[N the morning of September 19, 1864, the Michigan 
Cavalry Brigade, coiximanded by General Custer, con- 
sisting of the 1st, 5th, 6th, and 7th Mich. Regts. and the 
35th ]Sr. Y., was aroused from slumber at two o'clock, 
near Summit Point, Va. "Boots and saddles" had 
been sounded and soon active preparations were 
made to break camp. Horses were fed and sad- 
dled, a hasty meal partaken of, and in about half 
an hour the brigade was waiting for the word 
"forward." 

Soon the headquarters tent comes down, the gene- 
ral and staff mount, the bugler sounds "forward," 
and the brigade is again on the tramp. Away we 
go, across the country, through cornfields, into a 
patch of woods, another field, another patch of 
woods, up blind roads, a sudden turn to the right, 
across a large clearing, and entering a compara- 
tively open piece of woodland. 

We are now in the vicinity of the Opequan and it is not yet 
daylight. The brigade is massed in a piece of woods and is 
awaiting orders from the division commander. After a short 
time we move forward about a mile and a half and are again 

(74) 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 75 

massed in a belt of woods and in rear of a range of hills over- 
looking the Opequan. 

Presently we hear the crack! crack! of the Spencers, and a 
cavalryman conies in wounded in the arm. "Sharpshooters," 
he says, as he passes us. Soon other wounded men begin to 
come in and we know that there has been warm work in 
front. 

We are about half a mile from Burns' ford, on the Opequan. 
Beyond is an open field, and beyond that runs the creek, and 
rising from its brink on the south side is a high bluff lined with 
rifle-pits, filled with sharpshooters. On the left of the field 
runs a road leading to the ford, and on the left of the road a 
railroad embankment twenty feet high. Custer has ordered 
two regiments to charge over and dislodge the enemy. Down 
to the ford they move steadily, supported by a regiment which 
has been dismounted in the open field. But they do not suc- 
ceed. A terrible fire from the sharpshooters on the bluff 
opposite greets them, and they are forced to return. They are 
repulsed, but not defeated. As quickly as possible the brigade 
is re-formed, and while the attention of the enemy is engaged 
by a regiment of dismounted men, the 1st Mich. Cavalry Regt. 
is given the task to accomplish what two regiments had failed 
to do. 

"Follow that regiment, and when you see me wave my 
sword give 'em some music," is the order. Forward! By some 
blunder the band gets sandwiched in between two squadrons, 
and can't get out. 

"What are you blowers doing here?" says an officer. "No 
place for you. Custer ought to — " 

The sentence is not finished, for a shower of bullets sing 
through the air. A yell from the 6th Mich, on the right, and 
we look up and see the general waving his sword as they 
charged across the open field. We play a national air and 
make a break for a large opening in the railroad embankment, 
where we valiantly remained until the firing has ceased. 

In the mean time the 1st Mich, has crossed the creek, 
swarmed up the bluff, and the rifle-pits are ours, with a consid- 
erable number of prisoners. 

The entire command crosses the creek and takes the position 
just vacated by the enemy, who has retreated about a mile in 
the direction of Winchester and taken position behind earth- 



76 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

works. A splendid charge from the Michigan njen dislodges 
them, and forward we go. 

Then we advance and meet with no opposition until within 
two miles of Stevenson's depot when we run against a division 
of Confederate cavalry. In a moment the whole Michigan 
brigade makes a gallant charge right into them, and still again 
and although greatly outnumbering us, the fierceness of our 
onslaught dismays them. 

Looking to the left an inspiring scene meets the eye. Five 
brigades are moving forward in parallel lines, their bright 
sabers glistening in the sun, the bands playing, and the national 
colors and battle flags flying in the breeze. Ahead of us the 
enemy's cavalry have formed across the pike, about three miles 
from Winchester. We could also see the battle raging be- 
tween the lines of opposing infantry on the left. 

The rebel cavalry skirmishers now advance and drive in our 
own. A gallant charge by the Michigan men forces them back, 
and the short struggle is ended by the retreat of the enemy. 
About a mile further on they again rally. Custer sounds the 
charge and away goes the brigade again, and again the 
enemy's cavalry is driven and takes refuge behind his line of 
infantry. 

Now the Confederates make their last stand. We are near 
enough for them to use their batteries, a circumstance which 
they are not slow to improve. But the Confederate line is 
wavering and Custer knows it. Watching closely he sees the 
enemy about to make a retrograde movement, and instantly 
grasping the situation he ordered a charge by the whole 
brigade. Away they go with a rush and a yell, using the saber 
almost exclusively. The fierce rush was too much for the but- 
ternut men, and they melt and vanish before it. A gallant 
charge, brave Michigan men! Push on! 

But see, right in front springs up a fresh line of the foe! 
Stand firm! Now, charge again! And again this new obstacle 
melts away, and many prisoners are ours. 

Over to the right stands a little log house which shelters a 
host of the enemy. They are very annoying. They must be 
dislodged. Some Michigan troopers do the work, and they do it 
thoroughly. A sudden rush of horses, yelling men with gleam- 
ing sabers, and the thing is done. A Confederate regiment 
throw down their arms and are prisoners. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



77 



But see the gallant Custer! He is in the midst of a throng of 
the enemy, slashing right and left. A Confederate infantry- 
man presents his musket full at Custer's heart and is about to 
pull the trigger. Quick as lightning the general detects the 
movement. With a sharp pull he causes his horse to rear upon 
its haunches, and the ball passes, just grazing the general's leg 
below the thigh. Then a terrible sword stroke descends upon the 
infantryman's head, and he sinks to the ground a lifeless corpse. 

Now our boys are ready for more work. Another charge, the 
enemy falter, the lines waver, they break and run. Push for- 
ward, gallant men! Keep them going! And they do. 

Suddenly the artillery on Bunker Hill withholds its fire, the 
reports of small arms from the enemy cease, the smoke of battle 
clears away and we see that the hill is evacuated, the enemy 
in full retreat. Forward! forward! and away go our Michigan 
boys in hot pursuit. They have got them on the run. They fill 
the streets of Winchester, and the Wolverines are at their heels. 
On! on! through the town and miles beyond the surging mass 
is driven and the victory is won. 



THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 



HAD two brothers once. 
Warm-hearted, bold, and gay, 
»' They left my side — one wore the 
blue, 
The other wore the gray. 

One rode with Stonewall and his men, 
And joined his fate to Lee ; 

The otlier followed Sherman's march 
Triumphant to the sea. 

Both fought for what they deemed the 
right. 

And died with sword in hand ; 
One sleeps amid Virginia's hills, 

And one in Georgia's sand. 

The same sun shines upon their graves, 
My love for them must stay ; 

And so upon my bosom lies 
This knot of blue and gray. 



M4RCH TO THE BATTLE FIELD. 

By (iEO. H. Williams, Co. II., Fifth Iowa Cavaliy. 

^ ARC II to the battle field, 
;^-' p\V^ The foe is now before us ; 
^ Each heart is freedom's shield, 
And freedom's flag is o'er us. 
No link remains of galling chains 
That once our land degraded ; 
Our flag yet flies. 
In starry guise. 
With not one glory faded. 

Who from his country's cause 

Would ever shrink or falter ? 
Who fears to guard her laws, 
Or die before her altar ? 
If one there be, 
W^hose servile knee 
Would crouch to freedom's foeman. 
May sudden doom 
His life consume. 
And heaven avert the omen. 
Written just before the hattle of ^Tashville. 



78 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



HORACE GREELEY AT NEW ORLEANS. DOfJ'T JUDgg HASTILY. 



Buttermilk with His Soup. 

By GENERAL SHERIDAN. 



GEN. J. L. CHAMBERLAIN OF ME. 



^ WAS stationed at New Orleans 
^ wlien ]\Ir. Greeley came there on his 
I tour when a candidate for the Presi- 
dency. The old Creole residents gave 
him a dinner, and to make it as fine an 
affair as pos.sible, each of the many 
hosts was laid under contribution for 
some of the rarest wines in his cellar. 
When dinner was announced, and the 
half-shell oysters had disappeared, the 
waiter appeared at Mr. Greeley's seat 
with a plate of beautiful shrimps. 
" You can take them away," he said to 
the waiter, and then he added apolo- 
getically to the horrified old Creole 
gentleman who presided : " I never eat 
insects of any kind." Later on a soup 
was served, and at the same time a glass 
of delicious white wine was placed at 
Mr. Greeley's right hand. He pushed it 
aside quietly, but not unobserved by 
the chief host. " Do you not drink 
wine?" he asked. "No," answered 
Mr. Greeley, " I never drink any 
liquors." " Is there anything you 
would live to drink with your soup ? " 
the host asked, a little disappointed. 
"If you've got it," answered Mr. 
Greeley, " and it isn't any trouble, I'd 
like to have a glass of fresh butter- 
milk." " Mon Dieu ! " said the host 
afterwards in his broken English, " ze 
idea of electing to ze Presidency a 
man vot drink buttermilk vis his 
soup ! " 



IJ^^XE of the saddest things I know of 
jW^ is that epitaiih which the Viroinia 
2|« father, gathering up the remnant 
left him after the ravages of war, and 
settling himself as best he could into 
the new situation, placed upon a stone 
he raised as a memorial of his old home. 
On one face of it he inscribed these 
words : " To the sacred memory of my 
eldest boy, who fell fighting for the 
stars and stripes." On the opposite 
side he wrote, " To the sacred memory 
of my youngest boy, who fell fighting 
for the lost cause." And between them 
on the third face, " (Jod only knows 
which was right ! " I pity that man's sor- 
row and dark perplexity. But there is a 
double question there as to the " right," 
of which he dai'ed not judge. The mo- 
tive in the young men's minds was one 
thing, and the justice of the cause was 
another. God alone knows the heart, 
and he alone can judge men's motives. 
It is one of the strange facts of life 
that the best of feelings are sometimes 
enlisted in the worst of causes, and the 
worst of feelings in the best of causes. 
You cannot always judge the moral 
value of an act merely from its surface, 
nor can you judge it mei-ely from its 
motive. But men are responsible for 
their motives which they have allowed 
to control them, and for their use of the 
light they might have had if they would 
open their eyes to it. 



-*••*■ 



General Grant says in his book : " The most anxious period of the 
war to me, was during the time the Army of the Tennessee was guarding 
the territory acquired by the fall of Corinth and Memphis, and before I 
was sufficientlv re-enforced to take the offensive." 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



79 



SlvIQHTIvY IVIlSTAKKN. 

HOW THE NEWS OF LEE'S SUKRENDER WAS RECEIVED IN A CONFEDERATE BATTERY. 



.HILE Generals Grant and Lee 
were in conference, arranging 
the conditions of tlie latter's sur- 
render, "Ward's battery from 
Mississippi occupied such an ad- 
vanced position in the Confederate line 
as not to know what was going on at 
army headquarters, and having received 
no orders to cease firing, consequently 
its guns were opened upon the Federals, 
whenever they were in sight or range, 
notwithstanding the latter called to 
them to cease firing, and also waved 
handkerchiefs at them. The officers 
of the battery thought it quite strange 
that firing had ceased everywhei'e else, 
and, after a consultation, dispatched a 
lieutenant to Major Pogue, who com- 
manded the battalion of artillery, for 
orders. As the lieutenant rode along 
lie noticed an unusual number of blue 
coats within the lines, and saw groups 
of Confederate and Federal officers in 
conversation, and said the thought 
took possession of him tliat the Con- 
federates had won the day and captured 
a terrible big lot of prisoners. Finally, 
he reached Major Pogue's tent, and 
after saluting him, announced that his 
battery had cleaned out the enemy in 
its front, and that the captain was 
waiting instructions to move further to 
the front, and had sent him for orders. 
"Orders!" exclaimed the major, 
" why, the jig's up ! " 

"It is?" said the lieutenant. 
" Yes ! the surrender occurred more 
than an hour ago," continued the 
major, but before he could finish the 
lieutenant wheeled his horse, and, giv- 
ing a big hurrah, stuck his spurs to 
him and went dashing back to his 



comrades. As he reached them he 
whooped and yelled louder than ever. 
" Hurrah ! boys, the jig's up. We've 
scooped them in. Old Grant 's surren- 
dered to Marse Bob, and his fellows 
and our fellows are all up the road 
there, a shaking hands, and a swapping 
greenbacks and Confederate money for 
war relics. I swear it's a fact. I saw it 
with my own eyes, and Major Pogue 
told me so." 

At that time the majorcame galloping 
up and the lieutenant exclaimed :— 

" There he comes now. He'll tell you 
all about it." Before the major could 
speak the lieutenant asked, " Hasn't 
the surrender taken place, major?" 

" Yes," said he, and again the lieu- 
tenant whooped and yelled. 

" I told you so. Hurrah for our 
side ! " and the officers and men joined 
in and yelled till their throats were sore. 

All this time the major, who was 
still in his saddle, was trying to get in a 
word or two, but all in vain. Great 
tears were coursing down his cheeks, 
and when the lieutenant noticed this 
he called out : — 

" By granny, boys, the news is so 
good, see, the major is actually crying." 

At last there was a lull, when the 
captain remarked : — 

" Tell me all the particulars, major." 

The major, with some effort, and in 
a husky voice, complied ; but when he 
told them General Lee had surrendered 
to General Grant, his eyes were not the 
only ones that were filled with tears. 

The lieutenant look confounded, then 
bursting into tears, said : — 

" Well, boys, I don't believe it was 
ever intended for us to win." 



80 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 




MEMDRIEB DF THE WAR. 



By KATE BROWNLEE SHERWOOD. 




^incjHENEVER I hear the fife and 
y>y^U%K the drum, 

^^ And the bugle wildly play, 
My heart is stirred like a frightened 
bird, 

And struggles to break away ; 
For the tramp of the volunteers I hear, 

And the captain's sharp command, 
" Left ! Left ! Left ! " He is near. 

And drilling his eager band. 

For the women and men were as one 
that day 

In a purpose grand and great ; 
But the men are away in a stormy fray, 

And the women must watch and wait. 

And some were as brown as the tawny 
South, 
And some like the dawn were fair ; 
And here was the lad with his girlish 
mouth. 
And there was the beard of care. 
But whether from farm or fold they 
drew. 
From the shop or the school boy's 
seat. 
Each shouldered his musket and donned 
the blue, 
And the time with his brogans beat. 

And the mother put motherly fears to 
flight. 
And the wife hid her tears away; 
For men nmst fight while their cause is 
right. 
While the women in patience pray. 

And now 'tis the discipline hard and 
sore, 
Of the camp, and the march, and the 
chase, 



And now 'tis the flash, and the crash, 
and the roar. 
As the battle creeps on apace. 
O, God ! it is hard when a comrade falls, 

With his head at your very feet, 
AVhile " Forward ! " the voice of your 
captain calls, 
And the enemy beats retreat. 

And O, for the mother or wife who 
must see, 
When the news of the battle is 
known, 
" Killed, Private C, of Company G," 
While she sits in her grief like a stone. 

Here, the pitiless siege, and the hunger 
that mocks ; 
There, the hell of Resaca waits ; 
And the crash of the shells on the Geor- 
gia rocks. 
As you beat on Atlanta's gates, 
jriiere are dreams of a peace that is slow 
to dawn. 
Of the furloughs that never come ; 
There are tidings of grief from a letter 
drawn. 
And the silence of lips grown dumb. 

The words of your messmate you write 
from the crag 
Where he breathed his life away : 
" Oh say to my darling T died for the flag 
She blessed when we marched that 
day." 

There are chevroned sleeves for some 
who may go. 
And a captain's straps for a few. 
And the scars of the hero that some may 
show. 
When is sounded the last tattoo ; 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



81 



But the upturned face on the enemy's And O for the scenes that they loved so 

side, well, 

With its cold and ghastly stare, That haunted their dying day — 

Is all that is left of the poinji and the For a draught from the well that will 



pride 
Of some who the conflict share. 

And lo, when the enemy lifts the dead, 

And rifles his breast, I ween 
There's a woman's face and the dainty 
grace 
Of the babe he never lias seen ; 
And O for the famine, and O for the 
woe, 
Of the comrades in prison pen ! 
For the hunger and thirst, and the 
fever slow. 
And the torturing, homesick sense ! 



never swell. 
And a breath of the new-mown hay I 
Ah, well, there are few who are left, we 
know, 
Of the many who marched away ; 
And the children who clung to our 
skirts, I trow. 
Are as tall and as strong as they. 



There are unmarked graves in the lonely 
South, 
There are sjjecters that walk at will ; 
But the flag that you saved at the can- 
non's mouth 
Is the flag that is over you still ; 
And O for the phantoms that walk by The flag thro' the shot and the shell that 
night, you bore, 

And the phantoms that walk by day ! And wrapped in your blouses blue, 
And the whirl of the brain in the hope- The flag that you swore to defend ever- 
less fight, more. 
With the demons that gloat and prey ! Is the flag of the Union, too. 




A FLAG WITH A HISTORY. 



fNDREW ROBERTS, of East 
Hartford, Conn., is in possession 
of a flag that has an eventful 
history. It was flung to the breeze for 
the first time when the tidings of the 
election of Abraham Lincoln flashed 
through the country. It was next 
raised to welcome the arrival of the 6 th 
Mass. Vols, in Washington, after their 
bloody passage through Baltimore. 
From that time on it was raised at the 
6 



tidings of every Union victory until the 
close of the war. It greeted the second 
election of Lincoln, and hung heavily 
draped in crape from the day of his 
assassination until his burial. Since 
the war it has been raised at every 
Republican success in the country. It 
was presented to Mr. Roberts by his 
brother, the late J. H. Roberts, foreman 
of the government bindery at Wash- 
ington. 



The 33d New Tork, 

AND * ITS * GALLANT* BEHAVIOR * AT -:^ THE * BATTLE * OF * WILLIAMSBURG. 
A Brave Charoe. 

MAY 5, 1862. 




BENJ. MEPHAM, Corp. Co. B, 33d N. Y. S. V. I. 





FTER crossing King's Creek on a high 
dam, the three left companies were or- 
dered forward and took possession of the 
first fort. General Hancock continued to 
move forward, and having advanced half 
a mile to the left, halted a short distance 
from the enemy, near by an abandoned 
redoubt. Lieutenant-Colonel Corning was there ordered to 
take the three right companies and regimental colors and color- 
guard, and occupy and hold the fort. A few moments later 
Colonel Taylor proceeded with the other four companies to a 
body of woods, to the right and front, and deployed as skirmish- 
ers. Wheeler's and Cowan's batteries moved forward five 
hundred yards, directly in front of the redoubt, and com- 
menced shelling Fort Magruder; they were supported by the 
5th Wis. Regt., whose skirmishers connected with the 33d N. Y. 
on the right, and the 6th Me. and the 49th Penn. on the left. 
From the redoubt, occupied by Co.'s A, D, and F, the ground 
descended slightly for a few rods and then became a level 
plain, extending to Fort Magruder and presenting but few ob- 
stacles to the advance of infantry. Our artillery kept up a 
vigorous fire until two o'clock in the afternoon, and then ceased 
in accordance with orders from General McClellan, who had 
arrived on the opposite side of the creek. No other troops had 

(82) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 83 

offered to re-enforce Hancock, and he held his position on the 
enemy's left all day with the small force designated. Night 
was now approaching, and the men began to consider what 
further dispositions would be made of them when, suddenly, 
the rebels were discovered approaching from the direction of 
Williamsburg, and rapidly formed two lines of battle, which 
extended entirely across the plain in front. With their over- 
whelming numbers they expected to press down our small force 
and capture it entire, or drive it pell mell into the creek. Gen- 
eral Hancock immediately sent word to the batteries and 
infantry supports to fall back, which they did, engaging the 
enemy as they retired. The three companies of the 33d were 
ordered out of the redoubt into line of battle, but the color- 
sergeant and guard remained to defend and keep unfurled the 
banner. The 7th Me. was likewise posted in line of battle at 
the right. On came the swarthy rebels, shouting "Bull Run," 
and "Ball's Bluff," their lines firm and unbroken; while the 
5th Wis., 6th Me., and 49th Penn. hastily fell back, forming 
on the left of the 33d. 

Shot and shell fell all around the redoubt. It was a most 
trying situation. The foe was steadily bearing down and no 
re-enforcements could cross the narrow dam in time to render 
assistance. Still the men faltered not, but nerved themselves 
for the shock, determined that the enemy should bite the 
dust ere they would surrender. As the rebels drew nearer, the 
men fired rapidly, but failed to make any impression on their 
lines, which swept over the plain in perfect order. They had 
now arrived within seventy yards of the redoubt, and our lieu- 
tenant — Brown — and many other brave fellows had fallen. 
The cannoneers, with their guns, and many members of other 
regiments, were hurrying back to the dam to escape, both the 
right and left of the line were wavering, and it seemed as if all 
was lost. At this critical juncture, the lieutenant-colonel, 
turning to Colonel Taylor, who had just arrived from the skir- 
mish line, remarked: "Nothing but a charge can check them." 
"A charge it shall be," he replied, and instantly waving his 
sword in the air, shouted: "Forward, men!" "Charge bay- 
onets," added Lieutenant-Colonel Corning, and the brave men 
sprang forward on the double-quick, and were soon lost in the 
smoke which enveloped the plain. Incited by this gallant ex- 
ample of the 33d, other regiments followed, and, alarmed at 



84 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

this sudden counter-charge, the enemy broke and ran in con- 
fusion. In vain the commanding officer tried to rally them. 
They had started on the retreat, and would not rally. When 
the 33d was close upon them it discharged volleys into their re- 
treating lines. The other regiments joined us, and for several 
moments a murderous fire was poured upon the enemy, who 
never stopped till they reached their entrenchments. Some 
tumbled on their backs and feigned death, while others ran to- 
wards us with uplifted hands, imploring us to spare their lives. 
More than two hundred lay dead and wounded on the field, 
among them the lieutenant-colonel and major of the 24th Va., 
and a captain on Magruder's staff. It was a most daring and 
brilliant exploit, deciding the fortunes of the day and turning 
what was to this time a defeat on the left into a substantial 
victory. Thus terminated the battle of Williamsburg. The o'.kl 
captured alone one hundred and fifty prisoners, and won the 
plaudits of the whole army for its gallant charge. 

On the evening of May 7, General McClellan rode into camp 
on his bay charger. The 33d being drawn up in line, he ad- 
dressed us as follows: " Officers and men of the 33d, I have 
come to thank you in person for your gallant conduct on the 
field of battle on the 5th inst. I will say to you what I have 
said to other regiments engaged with you; all did well — did all 
I could expect, — but you did more. You behaved like veterans 
— you are veterans. Veterans of a hundred battles could not 
have done better. Those on your left fought well; but you 
won the day. You were at the right point, did the right thing, 
and at the right time. You shall have Williamsburg inscribed 
on your banner." 

As " Little Mac" rode away, followed by his staff, cheer after 
cheer rent the air. 



A FIGHTING BATTERY. PRESS AND PEOPLE. 



Battery D, 1st New York >"togM" Gen. Grant said in Nov., 1885 : "If the 

Artillery, participated in a aBG^^^I'V same license had been allowed the people 



greater number of battles ^^?4Jr^s^^ and the press of the South that was al- 
to Nov., 1864, than any other battery in lowed in the North, Chattanooga would 
the 5th Corps. It took part in twenty- probablyhavebeen the last battle fought 
two engagements. for the preservation of the Union." 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



85 



•-^SHOT BY A COMRABE.^- 

HOW A DESPERATELY WOUNDED SOLDIER WAS PUT OUT OF MISERY. 




3ENRY J, SAVAGE of the 

<j Soldiers' Home at Milwaukee, 



Wis., tells the following thrill- 
ing story : — 
The writer, a nieniber of Co. G, 1st 
Del. Infantry, was then attached to the 
3d Brigade (Weber's), 3d Division 
(French's), 2d Corps (Sumner's). Af- 
ter wading Antietam creek, plunging 
througli ploughed fields, stubble fields, 
and corn fields, his regiment was finally 
located within plain view of the enemy, 
when the welcome command ran along 
the line to " load and fire at will." It 
was then that our daily target practice 
at Fortress Monroe came into excellent 
use, as many a poor fellow of the 6th 
Ala. learned to his cost. After 
going eleven rounds, the writer was 
wounded and ordered to the rear. 
While retreating in good order, but 
making most excellent time, his route 
led him through a portion of the Irish 
Brigade. Here he saw a sight that 
capped the climax of horror. A mem- 



ber of that brigade was aimlessly 
stmnbling around with both eyes shot 
out, begging some one, " for the love of 
God," to put an end to his misery, A 
lieutenant of the 4th N. Y. was passing 
by, and seeing the poor fellow's condi- 
tion and hearing his appeal, he halted 
before him and asked him if he really 
meant what he said. 

" O, yes, comrade," was the reply, " I 
cannot possibly live, and my agony is 
unendurable." 

Without another word the officer 
drew his pistol, placed it to the victim's 
right ear, turned away his head, and 
pulled the trigger. A half wheel, a con- 
vulsive gasp, and one more unfortunate 
had passed over to the silent majority. 

" It was better thus," said the lieu- 
tenant, replacing his pistol and turning 
toward the writer, " for the poor fellow 
could — " 

Just then a solid shot took the lieu- 
tenant's head off, and the " subsequent 
proceedings interested him no more." 



OLD WAR LETTERS 



4^ 



|HILE repairing a house in Quit- 
man, Ga , in 1885, the woi'kinen 
^ found between the ceilings and the 
i weather boarding about a bushel 
of old letters. They had apparently 
been mailed during 1860 and 1861, and 
were never sent away. The house had 
been used for a post-office in the early 
years of the war, and these lettei'S, in 
some unaccountable manner, had slipped 
between the ceiling and outer wall as 
stated. Many of the letters were per- 
fectly preserved, while others were rat- 



eaten and soiled. Curiosity caused the 
seals of several of these ancient epistles 
to be opened. Many of thejn were 
from girls to their sweethearts in the 
army ; some from mothers and fathers 
to their sons ; some from wives to their 
husbands ; and a few were business 
letters. None of these letters ever 
reached those for whom they were in- 
tended, and a majority of the persons, 
both writers and those to whom they 
were written, " have passed over the 
river." 



LIFE IN THE TRENCHES. 

Twelve Hundred Dollars for a Barrel of Flour. 
Slabs of Corn Bread. 



'i^y xa. c- IB :es -^ a- o XT X IE :E^. 




^ 







.UCH was the ominous 
condition of affairs that 

^^^, bright Sabbath morn- 

^^^t^^ ing in April, that when 
the devotions of Mr. Davis 
were hurriedly interrupted at 
St. Paul's in the doomed city 
of Richmond, its portent was 
quickly guessed and whispered 
from ear to ear, though the 
regular services were quietly 
conducted to the close. 

It was a message from the 
front sent by Lee, that he could 
no longer hold the lines, and Richmond must be given up to a 
now victorious army. That April day will never be forgotten. 
The end had at last come, and the terror-stricken congrega- 
tion sadly dispersed to prepare for the last drama of the war. 
Never was dire confusion worse confounded than when the 
above tidings spread through that city. A mad, uncontrolled 
mob completed the horrors by open incendiary acts, so that 
when the exulting captors reached their prize it was but to see 
it in flames. That night our men noiselessly and mechanically 
filed out from the Petersburg trenches, concealing the move- 
ment by a general firing from the many mortars placed along 
the thirty miles of works. These queer looking guns had often 
made night resplendent from the thousand balls that were 
thrown in artillery duels to conceal some move or to provoke 

(86) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 87 

some little skirmish. Both parties were well provided with 
mortars — hundreds of them being distributed along the lines, 
or, as sometimes, concentrated in great numbers in one place. 
The trenches around Petersburg were scarcely a mile apart, 
and frequently they approached within a few hundred yards 
and were in plain sight of each other, unless the view was ob- 
structed by timber or undergrowth. Guns fired at an elevation 
of forty-five degrees appear as though aimed at the empty air, 
but they were terrifying and destructive to an army unpro- 
tected from the masses of iron thrown out from their huge 
mouths. We knew little of these engines of war until both 
armies settled down in front of Petersburg and began to batter 
and hammer at each other in regular siege style. At night it 
was grand to watch these fiery red shells, dart out from be- 
low the horizon as they began their flight. High and higher 
up they darted till, reaching their highest elevation, they be- 
gan their dip to the earth. Down they came whizzing and 
screaming, their path ablaze; faster and faster, till with a 
deep hollow thud, they buried themselves deep in the 
ground, throwing all around a shower of stones, pebbles, and 
earth. 

If they exploded in the air, a thousand scintillating lines of 
fire darted out for a moment and quickly all was dark again; 
but if the explosion was delayed until it had buried itself in 
the earth, a terrible upheaval followed, leaving a hole yards 
across, and men, arms, and all, involved in complete destruc- 
tion. There can be no more beautiful sight than these shells 
as they describe their eccentric flights, passing and re-passing 
as they rush screaming through the heavens. They seemed 
like balls of red hot iron hurled by some irate demons! — giants 
of vengeance engaged in dire conflict. Sometimes these fiery 
monsters crashed against each other in their flight, and then 
myriads of bright streaming lines of meteors would dart in 
every direction. Beautiful as are these sights, they are too 
dangerous for sport. 

Mortar duels, strange to say, did comparatively less damage 
than the ordinary field cannon, especially at night. Then shells 
could be easily watched, and a little experience soon enabled 
the men to calculate with great accuracy the place where they 
would fall. As science and skill add destructive engines of 
warfare, the instinct of preservation and of defense invents 



88 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

better and safer means of protection. It was but a short time 
before we found tliat good sound logs, covered with plenty of 
earth, constituted a safe and reliable protection against such 
visitors. Holes ten feet deep were dug, over which were placed 
layers of logs, and these in turn were freely covered with earth. 
The entrance was made in the side furthest from the enemy. 
These were the original and true bomb-proofs. When it was 
seen that a mortar shell would strike near by, the men would 
scamper into these subterranean vaults and safely await its ex- 
plosion. We have seen men await outside with no other pur- 
pose than to secure the fragments of the shell after its explo- 
sion. Those were hard times for poor Confederates in the 
trenches, and scrap iron would secure to them what Confeder- 
ate money had long since failed to do. Just think of paying 
$1,200 for a barrel of flour, $250 for a pair of shad, $150 for a 
day's stay at a hotel (you could not well term it board), and $3 
per drink for the vilest of whisky, and then to think of paying 
men $11 of this worthless stuff per month as wages! It may 
well be asked what did the rebels get to eat? No one save such 
a soldier and at such a time ever will know. 

For weeks at a time cold corn bread, prepared from unsound 
meal, was the best and only ration that was to be depended 
upon. Rarely was a piece of meat served. The preparation of 
corn bread was a novel one in the art of cooking. The great 
aim was to do the whole thing in bulk and with the least 
trouble possible. The meal was simply mixed with water, a 
little salt added and the dough baked in pans, say three feet 
long and half as wide. The long, brown colored cakes, looking 
much like clay colored flag-stones, were thrown into dirty 
box cars which had been used indiscriminately for the carrying 
of all kinds of supplies and also for the transportation of the 
dead and wounded of the army. Wagons equally unclean hauled 
these tremendous corn slabs to the men along the lines. By 
the time it reached them it was the filthiest of food, yet it was 
eaten to allay hunger. What must have been the determina- 
tion of such men? On such a diet had they been served for the 
ordeal awaiting them in the retreat to Appomattox. The route of 
that retreat was one long struggle for hopeless escape, each part 
of the way strewn with abandoned wagons, guns, and material 
of war, and each day signaled by the capture of thousands of 
prisoners. The wonder was the end had been so long delayed. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



89 



QENERAL ORANT AND THE RICKETS. 

(RELATED BY THE GENERAL IN HIS MEMOIRS.) 



^^ FTER we had secured the open- 
LqJ\ iiig of a line over which to bring 
^^(3 our supplies to the army, I made 
^ a personal inspection to see the 
situation of the pickets of the two 
armies. As I have stated, Chattanooga 
creek comes down the center of the 
valley to within a mile of Chattanooga, 
then bears off westerly, then north- 
westerly, and enters the Tennessee river 
at the foot of Lookout mountain. This 
creek, from, its mouth up to where it 
bears off west, lay between the two 
lines of pickets, and the guards of both 
armies drew their water from the same 
stream. As 1 would be under short- 
range fire and in an open country, I took 
nobody with me, except, I believe, a 
bugler, who staid some distance to the 
rear. I rode from our right around 
to our left. When I came to the camp 
of the picket guard of our side I heard 
the call, " Turn out the guard for 
the commanding general." I replied, 
" Never mind the guard," and they 
were dismissed and went back to their 
tents. Just back of these, and about 
equally distant from the creek, were 



the guards of the Confederate pickets. 
The sentinel on their post called out in 
like manner, " Turn out the guard for 
the commanding general," and, I be- 
lieve, added, " General Grant." Their 
line in a moment front-faced to the 
north, facing me, and gave a salute, 
which I returned. 

The most friendly relations seemed 
to exist between the pickets of the two 
ai-mies. At one place there was a tree 
which had fallen across the stream, and 
which was used by the soldiers of both 
armies in drawing water for their 
camps. General Longstreet's corps 
was stationed there at the time, and 
wore blue of a little different shade 
from our uniform. Seeing a soldier in 
blue on this log, I rode up to him, 
commenced conversing with him, and 
asked whose corps he belonged to. lie 
was very polite, and, touching his hat 
to me, said he belonged to General 
Longstreet's corps. I asked him a few 
questions — but not with a view to 
gaining any particular information — 
all of which he answered, and I rode 
off. 



GENERAL TERRY APvlONO HIS KrIENDS. 



-'<? 



sT was just after the surrender of 
Richmond, and General Terry was 

j m coumiand of the city. A com- 
mittee of Hartford gentlemen were 
visiting the capital of the defunct con- 
federacy, and passed an evening at 
headquarters, which were in the noted 
Jeff Davis house. After the evening 
had been well spent, a part\ of half a 
dozen, who knew the general inti- 
mately, retired to one of the upper 
rooms, and General Terry, the mo- 
ment the door was closed and locked. 



threw off his coat, stripped off his 
collar, and in a burst of freedom, 
exclaimed : " There — I've been General 
Terry, all dignity and resti-aint, here in 
cliarge of this rebel city, but now, boys, 
I'm among friends I'm going to have 
some fun." He sang songs, and danced, 
and cut up like a boy just out of 
school. He seemed to enjoy the relief 
afforded by a respite from the long 
struggle in the field, and the arduous 
task in his hands ; but when he was a 
soldier he was a soldier all over. 




reRPEDO EXPL0SI0N. 

The Terrible Cost of Inexcusable Carelessness. 

By W. P. DERBY, 27th Mass. 



'UNE 1, 1864, three torpedoes constructed from pork- 
barrels, containing 200 pounds of powder each were 
sent by cars to Bachelor's Creek, N. C, in charge of 
Lieutenant Jones of the 132d N. Y. Regt., to be placed 
in the Neuse River, as a protection against possible 
ironclads from Kinston. Desiring to communicate with Col- 
onel Classen of the 132d N. Y., in command at the creek, he 
left the torpedoes without informing any one as to what they 
were. The quartermaster-sergeant of the 132d N, Y. com- 
menced unloading the cars, and reaching the torpedoes he per- 
sonally took one to the gang-plank and rolled it to the platform 
supposing it to be a barrel of pork. His assistants took the 
other two and rolled them off. As the second torpedo struck 
the one upon the platform it broke the hair spring within, and 
the three torpedoes ex- ^^ , .. Kinston. Thirty were 
ploded with a concussion T/^i,^^ killed and seventeen 
which startled the enemy ,^^^"4^4' wounded of the 132d N. 



twenty miles distant at ^^^^^fta Y. ; a considerable num- 
ber also of the 158th N. Y., while so far as could be learned 
there were besides ten citizens killed and twenty-three wounded. 
A log depot 20 x 30, a railroad platform 100 feet long, and a 
signal tower ninety feet high were shivered to splinters. The 
remains of the victims were scattered in fragments in trees or 
upon the ground for upwards of half a mile. All that there 
was recognized of the quartermaster-sergeant was his little 
finger, known by his ring. A sight more pitiful or harrowing 
could not be imagined. The mangled and pow^der burned 
bodies of the living to the number of forty were gathered and 
their writhing forms taken to the New-Berne hospitals, while 
the remains of the dead were scraped together in infinitesimal 
bits and buried in hard-tack boxes. Such was the cost of a 
little inexcusable carelessness. 

(90) 



Battle of Hanover Court-House^ 

MAT 27, 1862. 

Hot Work of the 13th New York Volunteers. 

ENEMY'S WILD FIRING —FEDERALS' VICTORY. 




J. S. S., IStti N. Y. V. I. 





>HEN the army reached White House Landing, 
on its way up the Peninsula, my regiment 
(the 13th N. Y. Vols., of Martindale's brigade), 
with the 5th N. Y. (Duryea's), 1st Conn, heavy 
artillery (acting as infantry), Rush's Lancers (6th Penn. 
cavalry), and Weeden's battery (Co. C, 1st R. I.), was 
formed into a provisional brigade, under command of Colonel 
(afterwards General) Warren. 

We marched to Old Church, on the Pamunkey, near which 
place we barely missed capturing Lee, and, on the morning of 
May 27, started for Hanover. It had been raining incessantly 
for two days, nor did it cease until about 11 a. m. 

The roads were in a fearful condition, and when the clouds 
rolled away the sun came out so intensely hot that many of the 
men were nearly prostrated. 

It was about noon, I should judge, when we heard the sound 
of artillery ahead, and our march was hastened to the utter- 
most possible extent. About two o'clock, we reached the field 
where the action had been fought, and learned that the foe 
were retreating. We were immediately ordered in pursuit. 
and passing Dr. Kinney's house, struck the pike leading to- 
wards Richmond, or Ashland — I forget which. 

We had gone about two miles, when heavy firing in our 
rear attracted attention. Presently General Porter came rid- 
ing from the head of the column, and as he came opposite he 

(91.) 



92 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

was met by a staff officer, who informed him that our men who 
had been left behind on the field were being hard pressed by 
strong re-enforcements from Richmond, sent to assist Branch. 

The loth N. Y. happened to be the hindmost regiment, and 
General Porter, turning to Marshall, our colonel, ordered him to 
reach the scene of action at the earliest possible moment. We 
did not wait to countermarcli, but about-faced, and as soon as 
we had passed Weeden's battery, started upon the double-quick. 
By the time we reached Dr. Kinney's I felt like the broadside 
of a barn with an ache all over it. 

The knee-high clover, in a large field near Dr. Kinney's, came 
near finishing all of us. It was wet, and clung to our feet and 
legs, and it was only by the utmost exertion that we succeeded 
in "double-quicking." We were hardly in condition to walk. 

We passed to the eastward of the mansion, and turned our 
head of column to the right, in rear of the line formed and 
forming under Martindale, who as he saw us approaching rode 
up and assumed command. He ordered us to the extreme left 
to anticipate a movement of the enemy down the railroad. 

Again it was "double-quick," until we had reached a piece of 
timber on a line with the woods occupied by our comrades. 
There we faced to the right bringing us fronting the railroad 
and on an alignment with the rest of Martindale's command. 
We passed into the woods a distance of, perhaps, three hundred 
yards, and then suddenly emerged in line of battle upon the edge 
of a field of growing wheat that came nearly to our knees. 

On the opposite side of this field was a rail fence, parallel to 
our front, and less than three hundred yards away; upon our 
right (with an interval of cleared country between), timber, 
and timber upon our left and left front. Towards our right 
front, which I judge to have been in a westerly direction, the 
country was open ; and at a distance of from one-half to three- 
fourths of a mile away stood a house from which floated a 
yellow flag. It was the Confederate hospital. As we came out 
into the wheat-field, the sun dazzled our eyes; but we dis- 
covered a body of men marching by the flank across our front 
from right to left, behind and partly concealed by the fence in- 
closing the wheat. We could not exactly make out whether 
they were friends or foes, and several of us sang out to our own 
color-bearer: "Shake her out, Jack, shake her out, and let's 
see who they are." 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 93 

The flag was given to the breeze, and as its folds gently 
spread, aided by the swaying of the hands that held it, the 
passing column halted, coming to a front by a "left-face," and, 
before we had time to think, delivered a tremendous volley 
full at us. As we saw the movement of leveling the muskets 
every man of us dropped to earth, and the storm of lead passed 
harmlessly over our heads. Then kneeling, with the visors of 
our caps pulled low to shut out the glare of the sun, we opened 
by volley, and kept it up as rapidly as possible. The enemy 
shot wildly, whereas, judging from the way the splinters flew 
from the fence and the confusion in their ranks, our Reming- 
tons were making their position too uncomfortable to hold. 
After perhaps twenty minutes they began to waver, and we 
were ordered to charge. Ahead we went, but they did not 
await our coming. Away they flew to the rear, a majority of 
them seeking the friendly shadows of the woods adjacent. 

Reaching the fence we found it nearly dismantled by our 
fire. Behind it lay numerous dead and wounded, and to our 
right, hidden from our sight by the woods, we discovered the 
place where the enemy had evidently been preparing dinner. 
Fires were burning, cups of water steaming, hard-tack, meal, 
and bacon lay scattered about, and in one instance a dish of 
batter, out of which some of us had excellent griddle-cakes that 
night. Close by, in two long, systematic rows, just as they 
had been laid down, were the well-filled knapsacks of the 18th 
and 28th North Carolina, of Branch's division — nearly 1,500 of 
them. We gobbled them, and fine pickings we had, too. I 
secured an elegant dress suit, with "biled" shirts, collars, and 
cuffs, two pairs of silk stockings, and a villainous looking bowie- 
knife with a blade about eleven inches in length. 

I do not now remember the loss sustained by my regiment, 
but it was quite small — our manner of fighting had saved us. 
From the enemy, in addition to those disabled, we took many 
prisoners. Three members of my company, who went on a 
scout after we made camp, brought in thirteen Confederates 
with their arms and equipments. Besides, we captured their 
wagon containing hospital, surgical, and medical stores, am- 
bulances and teams, and when the rest of our brigade joined 
us we were resting on the field we had won. 



=*->5'^fI^^$<->^^^" 



94 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 




A War Ron/ianck. 



i^ 



N 1864 and 1865 the Macon, Ga., 
City Ilall and the old market 
house were used as a hospital for 
wounded and sick Confederate 
soldiers. The ladies of the town con- 
stituted themselves nurses, and perhaps 
in no other hospital in the Confederacy 
did the patients fare so well. One day 
a lady went to the hospital to visit " her 
soldier." She was accompanied by a 
very handsome married lady, a refugee 
from New Orleans. AVhen they reached 
the cot upon which the soldier lay 
M^rithiug with pain, caused by the 
recent amputation of his left arm, they 
ministered to his wants and then sat by 
and cheered him with gentle words of 
comfort. As they were leaving the sol- 
dier requested the New Orleans lady to 
Q-'ive him a small Confederate flag 



which she wore upon her breast. She 
gave him the flag, first writing her name 
on the white bar. The soldier re- 
covered, the war ended, and he returned 
to his home in Alabama. As something 
not to be forgotten, it should be men- 
tioned that at the time he was in the 
hospital he was unmarried, and contin- 
ued so after the war. In 1 885 the sol- 
dier had occasion to visit New Orleans. 
He remembered the lady that gave him 
the flag, and made inquiries about her. 
He discovered that her husband died 
soon after the war, and that she, a 
widow, was still living in New Orleans. 
He called on her, then called again ; 
in fact he called many times. A few 
days ago there was a wedding in New 
Orleans, in which he and the lady fig- 
ured as principals. 



-^ • • *- 



THE BLUE, THE GRAY, AND GRANT, 



Q^riEY sat together side by side, 
4\r^ In the shade of an orange tree ; 
2^ One had followed the flag of Grant, 
The other had fought with Lee. 



" My leader lives " — the boy in blue 
Spoke low and with a sigh — 

" But all the country waits in fear 
That he to-day may die." 



The boy in blue had an empty sleeve, 
A crutch had the boy in gray. 

They talked of the long and dreary 
march. 
They talked of the bloody fray. 



" God bless our Grant ! " the vet'ran 
said. 

And dropped a tear, and then 
In heartfelt tones the answer came, 

For the rebel said — "Amen ! " 



" My chief is dead," the Johnny said, 

" A leader brave was he ; 
And sheathed fore'er at Lexington 

Doth hang the sword of Lee." 



DRAWING LOTS FOR DEATH. 




'APT. HENRY W. SAWYER, of New Jersey, once 
passed through a very perilous adventure. He was 
among the Federal prisoners in Libby Prison at the 
time when the Confederate government determined to 
retaliate in kind the execution of two rebel officers by 
one of our Western ^^ jg^ at that time was a kind- 
generals. Mr. Sawyer %X^ ^M^ hearted and agree- 
was at that time a jM^KX m\\ ^^^® man, and was re- 
captain in the 1st N. /HH^^M/'li garded by them with 
J. cavalry, and was ^^^^^^Bi^m, feelings of gratitude 
of the grade of officers ^^^^P JHll ^^^ affection. On the 
from whom selections ^P||^i|f iMjjf morning in question 
were to be made for lO/z/I JKU this officer entered the 




room where the 

prisoners were con- 

'^ fined, and told all the 

officers to walk out 



the victims to Confed- 
erate vengeance. The 
officer who was in 
charge of the prisoners 
into another room. This order was obeyed with particular 
alacrity, as the prisoners were daily expecting to be exchanged, 
and it was supposed that the order had arrived, and that they 
were about to exchange their prison quarters for home and 
freedom. After they had all gathered in the room, their counte- 
nances lighted up with this agreeable hope, the officer came in 
among them, and with a very grave face took a paper out of 
his pocket and told them that he had a very melancholy duty 
to perform, the purport of which would be better understood by 
the reading of the order he held in his hand, which he had just 
received from the War Department. He then proceeded to read 
to the amazed and horrified group an order for the immediate 
execution of two of their number, in retaliation for the hanging 
of two Confederate officers. As the reader ceased the men 
looked at each other with blanched faces and a silence like 
death prevailed for some minutes in the room. The Confeder- 

(95) 



06 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

ate officer then suggested that perhaps the better way would 
be to place a number of slips of paper equal to the whole num- 
ber of officers from whom the victims were to be selected, in a 
box, with the word "death" written on two of them, and the 
rest blank — the two who drew the fatal slips to be the doomed 
men. This plan was adopted, and a chaplain was appointed to 
prepare the slips. The drawing then commenced, the men 
advancing and taking out a slip, and, if it proved to be a blank, 
taking their places in another part of the room. The drawing 
had proceeded for some time, and fully a third of the officers 
had exchanged gloomy looks of apprehension for a relieved as- 
pect they could not avoid showing, after escape from such 
terrible peril, before a fatal death slip had been drawn. At the 
end of about this period, however, the first slip was drawn, 
and the name of "Capt. Henry W. Sawyer of the 1st N. J. 
Cavalry " was called out as the unfortunate man. The captain 
was, of course, deeply agitated, but did not lose his self- 
possession. He immediately began revolving in his mind some 
plan for averting, or at least postponing, the immediate carry- 
ing out of the sanguinary edict of the rebel government, and 
by the time he was joined by his companion in misfortune, 
who turned out to be a Captain Flynn of an Indiana regiment, 
he had resolved upon his course. The officer in command, as 
soon as the drawing was completed, ordered the two men to 
be taken out and immediately executed. Captain Sawyer, 
however, demanded, as a request that no civilized nation could 
refuse under such circumstances, that he should have permis- 
sion to write to his wife, to inform her of the terrible fate that 
awaited him, and to have her come on and bid him an eternal 
farewell. Respite for a day or two was thus obtained, and 
Sawyer subsequently obtained an interview with the rebel 
Secretary of War, and secured permission to write to his wife, 
which he did. His object in writing to her was principally for 
our government to be made acquainted with the predicament 
in which the officers were placed, and to secure hostages and 
threaten retaliation should the order of the rebels be carried 
out. It turned out precisely as Sawyer hoped and expected. 
Our government was informed of the condition of affairs, and 
promptly seized a son of General Lee and one of some other 
prominent rebel, and threatened to hang them if the Union 
officers were executed, Bv this means the lives of the two 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



97 



doomed men were saved, as the Confederate government did 
not dare to carry out their threats. After a few months more 
confinement, Captain Sawyer was exchanged. Captain Flynn, 
his companion in misfortune, came out of the ordeal with his 
hair as white as snow; turned gray by the mental sufferings 
he endured. Captain Sawyer served through the war. 



GRANT WAS RESPONSIBLE. 

A Time When Secretary Stanton Wanted to Raise Somebody's Scalp. 



/^ RANT had no fear of responsi- 
^^ bility ; no fear of Secretary Stan- 
•^ ton. I never knew him to show 
any fear of anything. Tn September, 
1861, while at Harper's Ferry, retm-ning 
from a visit to Sheridan, he learned 
that Wade Hampton had slipped in, 
in the rear of the left flank of the 
Army of the Potomac, and carried off 
our entire beef herd — 2600 head ! When 
Secretary Stanton heard of the loss of 
the cattle, he wanted somebody's scalp, 
and telegraphed, " Who is responsible 
for the loss of the cattle herd?" To 
which General Grant replied, " I am." 
There was no " hair raised " that time. 
For several days afterward the " rebs," 



with much "mooing" and "lowing," 
frequently called out, " Hello, Yanks, 
don't you want some beef ? " While 
this was going on the " old man '* would 
jokingly say, " I have the best commis- 
sary in the army ; he not only feeds my 
army, but that of the enemy also." 
It was only a few months after this that 
he directed the same officer at Appo- 
mattox to feed General Lee's famishing 
army. When shortly after this loss 
Sheridan made a big haul in " the val- 
ley," Grant felt better. Though the 
animals were not so large nor in such 
good condition as ours, they were in 
such numbers and of such size as to 
stop Johnny Reb's mouth. 



A READY ANSWER. 



GALLANT CONDUCT. 



tNE day when the traveling was 
tough, a teamster with broken 
wagon and mules tangled up, using 
language he thought hardly equal to 
his surroundings, was approached by a 
quiet man who said, "Are you a sol- 
dier ? " He replied, " No, sir, I am a 
teamster — by brevet." 
7 




tENERAL DUANE, at one 
time Chief Engineer of the 
Army of the Potomac, was, 
perhaps, the only officer who received a 
brevet for "highly distinguished pro- 
fessional services." He was also fre- 
quently breveted for " gallant and meri- 
torious conduct " in the field. 



M0THER*BlCKERDIKE. 

One of the Grandest Women of the War. 



By BENJ. WOODWARD, Surg. 22d 111. 




WAS a surgeon in the army and was so situated as 
to preclude my witnessing many feats of valor in 
the field, but I can bear testimony to the uncom- 
plaining endurance of our soldiery in camp and 
hospital. 

I came also into constant contact with a 
group of noble women so heroic, so saint- 
like, so devoted to the poor sufferers as to 
raise them to the very pinnacle of woman- 
hood. I refer to the army nurses as I 
found them in camp and hospital. At 
home they were often maligned and de- 
spised, for it is a sad truth that in the first 
years of the war, if a woman gave herself 
to the nation as a nurse she was looked 
down upon as one who debased herself. 
In the army they were accepted as angels 
of mercy. 

While I might speak of many of these 
choice spirits, I choose one as my heroine; 
a woman rough, uncultivated, even ig- 
norant, but a diamond in the rough. I 
knew this woman before the war as well 
as through it. I refer to Mrs. Bickerdike, known in camp, field, 
or hospital as Mother Bickerdike. She was a widow before the 
war, with a family of young children, and so poor that she 
supported her family by going out as a hired nurse. Let me 
describe my heroine: A large, heavy woman, about forty-five 
years of age, strong as a man, muscles of iron, nerves of finest 

(98) 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 99 

steel — sensitive, but self-reliant, kind and tender, seeking all 
for others, for herself, nothing. Men of the Army of the Cum- 
berland, or of the Tennessee, knew her; they remember that old 
sun-bonnet and the old white mule she rode, and when she rode 
into our camp or came into the dreaded field hospital, how the 
shouts went up, " Hurrah for Mother Bickerdike! " 

In the fall of 1861, I was ordered to the charge of the general 
hospital, at Cairo, 111., a large, three-story brick building, in- 
tended for a hotel. The walls were rough, unplastered, and 
the third story had only loose rough boards for a floor. Gath- 
ered into that place were about 300 sick men — camp diarrhoea, 
dysentery, typhoid fever, and measles. No ice to be had, the 
water just out of the foul Mississippi river; no nurses but men 
from the ranks, all unused to the care of the sick; no changes 
of underclothes; no convenience for bathing; no nice cooking for 
the sick. In the midst of such suffering and disorder nothing 
but the warm heart and willing hand of woman could bring 
order out of chaos. I went to Major Timmons, the medical 
director, for aid. He was willing to try a woman, but feared 
General Grant, who commanded the post, would not consent; 
but on laying the matter before him and showing how impera- 
tive was the necessity, he consented, if the right woman could 
be found. Mrs. Bickerdike was written for, and as the ladies 
of Galesburg (which was her home and mine) charged them- 
, selves with the care of her children, she came to Cairo, bring- 
ing with her a good supply of hospital clothing and delicacies 
for the sick. At first the men ridiculed her, but her cheerful 
temper took no offense, for she knew she was right; but woe to 
the man who insulted her. Her first requisition was for bath- 
ing-tubs; these were made from half -hogsheads and barrels. 
She organized the nurses, saw that all the sick were cleaned, 
and, as far as possible, given clean underclothes. A special 
diet-kitchen was established, and a great change for the better 
was soon seen in the patients. As a rule she hated officers, 
looking on them as natural enemies of the privates. This, no 
doubt, she got from her husband, who had been a musician in 
the regular army. 

" Them pesky ossifers," as she always called them, soon saw 
her worth and esteemed her, but she would bear no fooling. 
One day she caught a young lieutenant, who had been sick a 
few days before but who had now recovered, around with a hos- 



100 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

pital shirt on, and to which he had no right. With a few , 
withering words she grabbed him and stripped the shirt over his 
liead, and turned him out of the room amidst the laughter of 
thirty or forty men. 

As she went with the army to New Madrid, Island No. 10, 
Fort Pillow, and up to Corinth, every man knew her and 
always hailed her as Mother Bickerdike; and she was a mother 
to the men. Grant and Sherman highly esteemed her, and the 
latter gave her a large white mule, saddle and bridle, and as 
it was not a side-saddle she had it so altered that she could ride 
on it. 

Her pertinacity was such that when, in Southern Tennessee, 
sanitary goods were needed at the front, but no quartermaster 
would give her transportation, she, in the night, loaded a car 
and had it pushed to a train. The quartermaster, seeing Gene- 
pal Sherman told him what she had done. 

'* Well," said the general, " she ranks me. You will have to 
let it go, I guess." 

So this woman labored, month by month and year by year, 
till peace came. She had saved a little money, and friends 
helped her to go to Kansas, and at Abilene, I think it was, the 
railroad allowed her to build a house as an eating station, giv- 
ing her the promise of a deed to the land. She did well, but no 
deed came. A change in the railroad management turned her 
out, not even paying her for the house. 

Where she now is, is more than I know, but this I do know, 
that she is entitled to as good a pension as is the widow of any 
general. This paper is too long now, or I would like to tell of 
those ministering angels, Mrs. Wittenmyer, and Mrs. Hays. 
The latter took care of me like a sister when sick in Camp Big 
Springs. Of these and many other well known women who 
gave time and labor for the disabled, much might be said. So, 
too, of the Sisters of Charity, who worked in hospitals, doing 
great good. But none of them, so far as came under my ob- 
servation, followed the men to the field. Such work seemed to 
be left for the women who came from the homes of the North. 
But upon all who thus labored, whether in hospital, garrison, 
or field, I believe the Great Master has set his seal, and in the 
day when lives are accounted for, he will say, " Well done, 
gQod and faithful servants; what you did for the least of my 
friends, ye did it unto me. Take your crown of reward." 



BATTLE OF FAIR OAKS, 



And the Behavior of the Eighty- Fifth New York in that Bloody Contest, 

May 81, 1862. 
E. B. STILLMAN, 85th N. 1 VET. VOLUNTEERS. 





HE 85tli N, Y. Regt. was encamped to the 
left of the Williamsburg road, and about 
one hundred yards to the left and rear of 
e redoubt, and was the support of the bat- 
ry of Napoleon guns, three of which were in 
e redoubt and three at the left, a few rods in 
f our rifle-pits, and were attached to Palmer's 
e, Casey's division. 

had nearly completed a line of rifle-pits 
he redoubt to the left — of sufficient length to 
cover the regiment. Front of our works and for about four hun- 
dred yards was a level field covered with green wheat; then 
came a rail fence and one-fourth of a mile of slashed timber; 
then the woods, in which our pickets were posted. About noon 
of the 31st of May, three cannons were fired by the rebels, the 
shots falling a short distance in the rear of our camp. We fell 
in and advanced to the rifle-pits. Picket firing soon commenced, 
and the 103d Pennsylvania was sent out on the Williamsburg 
road to support the pickets; then the 92d New York was posted 
along the fence, next to the slashing in our front. In a short 
time a heavy volley of musketry was heard where the 103d 
Pennsylvania had gone and in a few minutes the Pennsyl- 
vanians and pickets came pouring back in a perfect panic. I 
don't think they stopped till well to the rear of Couch's division, 
three-quarters of a mile in the rear, no doubt giving rise to the 
rumor that Casey's men had been "surprised and had retreated 
in disorder." 

(101) 



102 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

We could see the rebel battle-flags above the slashing as the 
rebel troops advanced. The battery near the redoubt opened 
on them, but without effect. They fired wildly, throwing some 
of their shells into the ranks of the 92d New York, causing 
their retreat. There was now no force between us and the Con- 
federates, a brigade strong, who dressed their lines at the edge 
of the wheat field, and recommenced their advance. Our bat- 
tery fired one or two rounds of canister and then the men stood 
not on the order of going, but went as fast as their legs could 
carry them, leaving cannon, ammunition, horses and all, and 
the 85th Regt. to hold the position unaided. 

We had taken position in the rifle-pits — standing in water 
from ankle to knee-deep. The Johnnies were in good shape, 
the field-officers, mounted, following close in rear of their line 
of battle. Our colonel and major had disappeared; our lieuten- 
ant-colonel was wounded, leaving the command to Capt. W. 
W. Clarke, of Co. B, who, cool as a cucumber and brave as a 
lion, ordered us to fire low and take good aim. The rebels ad- 
vanced slowly, loading and firing as they came, and on the 
green field in our front presented a splendid mark. In a short 
time our fire had dismounted their officers and was having a ter- 
rible effect on their ranks. They began to find it very difficult 
to carry their colors, and when within about one hundred yards 
of us they began to break up and lie down. In firing at a rest 
over the wet, soft bank of the pits, our guns had cut a channel 
that bore directly on the rebels, and with little pains we could 
make every shot tell. They were in fine range and not firing 
at us, for it was too hot for human endurance. They soon com- 
menced running back, and pluckily tried to take their colors 
and battle-flags, but it was sure death to touch a staff, and they 
gave it up — leaving every flag on the field and seemingly two- 
thirds of their number. 

We remained there over two hours, and no other force ap- 
peared in our front while we staid in the rifle-pits, but we could 
see a heavy rebel column just out of range on our left, march- 
ing with arms at a right shoulder-shift, to take us and our forces 
in flank. We expected re-enforcements from Couch's division 
to hold our lines, but none came, and we were ordered out and 
retreated as far as our camps, and were then ordered back to 
the rifle-pits again. By this time all the battery horses had 
been shot down as they stood hitched to the limbers; the rebels 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



103 



had broken our lines to our right and were some distance to the 
rear and right of us. At the same time there appeared to be no 
end of the Johnnies flanking on our left, the head of the column 
being far to the rear of our line. No re-enforcements coming, 
we were again ordered to the rear — every man for himself — 
and that ended the organized fighting of the 85th for that day. 
We got back to Couch's line as best we could, but we saw no 
fighting there except at extremely long range. The writer was 
near the right of the 10th Massachusetts when they received 
the heavy fire in fiank from the troops that had flanked us out 
of our position. 



>Be l^tfi ^eteram ©orpg. 



J. WA.RD CHILDS. 

Air — "Joe Bowers." 




[^E brave, immortal veterans, 
Ye gallant sons o£ Mars, 
Who've borne through many a battle 

Our glorious Stripes and Stars, 
Come listen to a soldier 

While he his song shall pour 
In honor of the veterans 

Of the gallant Fifteenth Corps. 

The heroes of New England 

Stood well the bloody test. 
But none won brighter laurels 

Than the veterans of the West. 
Where blushed the vales the deepest 

With streams of human gore. 
And where the slain lay thickest. 

There fought the Fifteenth Corps. 



Led on by gallant Sherman, 

The idol of the land, 
The noblest of our generals, 

And the bravest in command. 
We marched through the rebellion, 

A terror to the foe, 
And driving all before us. 

We struck the final blow. 

They call us Sherman's " bummers," 

And, doubtless we are " some," 
For marching down through Dixie, 

We went on many a " bum " ; 
We " bummed " it at Atlanta, 

And at Savannah, too, 
And all the way to Bentonville, 

Where we put the Johnnies through. 



And now the war is over. 

The rebellion is no more. 
The Union re-established. 

And our bloody fighting o'er, 
We'll fill to General Sherman, 

While loud, from shore to shore, 
Shall ring the parting tribute 

Of the Fifteenth Veteran Corps. 



Casey's Division. 

Its Gallant Behavior at the Battle of Fair Oaks. 

l>jl.a.y 31, less. 

HARD FIGHTING ON BOTH SIDES.-GENERAL HOOKER'S COOL 
CHARGE FORCING THE ENEMY TO RETREAT. 

GEORGE H. JOHNSTON, A. A. G., Naglee's Brigade. 




SHALL speak of the 2d and 3d Brigades in a general 
way only, but of Naglee's brigade in particular. This 
brigade was composed of 104th Penn., Col. W. H, H. 
Davis; 11th Me., Lieut.-Col. H. F. Plaisted; 5Gth N. Y., 
Col. C. H. Van Wyck; 52d 
Penn., Col. J. C. Dodge; and 
100th N. Y., Col. J. M. Brown. 
On the 24:th of May General 
McClellan ordered General ^JT 
Naglee to make a reconnais- 
sance from the "chimneys" 
near Bottom's Bridge by way of 
Williamsburg road, and, if 
possible, to advance to the 
Seven Pines, and to hold that 
point if practicable. Accord- .^ 
ingly, Naglee's brigade, with ^^C 
the addition of two batteries 
of the 1st N. Y. Artillery and Gregg's regiment of Penn. 
cavalry, pushed forward, but not without stubborn re- 
sistance. They gained a little from day to day, till on 
the 28th General Casey's division was about one mile beyond 
Seven Pines on the Williamsburg road. Our right extended to 
the railroad and beyond, crossing it at right angles between 
the fifth and sixth mile-post from Richmond. From the left of 

(104) 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 105 

the Williamsburg turnpike to the White Oak Swamp, Naglee's 
brigade was on the right, Wessel's in the center, and Palmer's 
on the left. This was the position of the division the day of 
the commencement of the battle — at least one-half rnile nearer 
Richmond than was again reached during the Peninsular cam- 
paign. The fight opened on the 31st of May, 12 m. The first 
notice we had was the explosion of two shells in our camp — 
evidently their signal to advance. The attack was sudden, but 
not a surprise, for cars had been running all night on the Rich- 
mond end of the railroad, and Lieutenant Washington, A. D. 
C. on General Johnston's staff, had been captured the day be- 
fore; these, with other suspicious circumstances, kept all, from 
General Casey down, constantly on the alert. We felt that 
some one had blundered in placing this small division of less 
than 5,000 men in such a critical position. It was like a 
finger thrust forward into the fire to test its endurance. The 
enemy moved down the Williamsburg turnpike in solid 
columns, our pickets falling back till within a quarter of a mile 
from the first line of rifle-pits, where Spratt's battery of four 
pieces was posted, supported by the lOith Penn. Vols., 11th 
Me., lOOth N. Y. (of Naglee's brigade), and the 92d N. Y. (of 
Palmer's brigade). 

Here some of the hardest fighting ever known took place. 
General Casey says in his report it was the most terrific fire 
of musketry that he had ever witnessed. General Naglee says, 
"The air at this time was literally filled with iron and lead." 
It was here that the bayonet charge was made by the four reg- 
iments last mentioned, led by General Naglee; so close were 
the combatants that Sergeant Potter, of the 104th Penn., was 
struck on the head by a musket in the hands of a Confederate, 
and two or three men of the 11th Me. were bayoneted. 

Receiving no re-enforcements these regiments, with Spratt's 
battery, retired to the first line of rifie-pits. Here was posted 
the balance of Casey's 2d and 3d Brigades, and the battle was 
renewed with great fury; the four batteries of 1st N, Y. Artil- 
lery, viz., Lieutenant Hart's, Regan's, Spratt's, and Fitch's — per- 
formed splendid service. At every discharge wide gaps were 
opened in the enemy's ranks. We could have held them at 
this place had it not been for the fact that the enemy had 
flanked us on the left, and their sharpshooters were picking off 
our oflicers and men, and had succeeded in killing three or four 



106 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

horses attached to every team of the batteries. Here fell many 
a gallant soldier — Col. G. I). Bailey, 1st N. Y. Artillery, who was 
shot in the head while attempting to spike some of his guns in 
the redoubt; Major Van Valkenberg, and Adjutant Hart, of the 
same regiment; Colonel Brown, 100th N. Y. ; the major, 104th 
Penn., and Colonel Davis, of the same regiment, with many 
others severely wounded. Not a field-officer was left of 
Naglee's brigade. Disputing every inch of ground, we re- 
treated toward the second line, Regan's battery firing up the 
Williamsburg turnpike at the advancing enemy, his guns be- 
ing hauled by prolongs, all his horses having been killed. It 
was a close spot for Regan, but he succeeded in saving his bat- 
tery. Here was stationed General Couch's division, and, with 
the assistance of one brigade from General Kearney, which had 
just arrived, an attempt was made to regain the lost ground, 
but it proved a failure, and the troops, by order of General 
Heintzelman, retreated to the third line. 

The 56th N, Y. and 52d Penn., with a detachment of the 11th 
Me., were on the extreme right of Naglee's brigade, near the 
railroad, at the commencement of the battle, where they suf- 
fered heavy loss, their position having been flanked. By an 
order of General Naglee, what was left of the 56th N. Y. and 
a detachment of 11th Me. joined the balance of the brigade, 
near the second line, and fought with them through the re- 
mainder of the battle. When the order to retreat was given to 
Colonel Dodge, of the 52d Penn., he begged to be allowed to re- 
main and fight it out on that line, as he did not wish to fall 
back, leaving his dead upon the field. For some time after he 
remained fighting against fearful odds until their retreat was 
cut off, and they escaped by passing through the wood to the 
left and rear, where they rejoined their comrades of the 1st 
Brigade, and retreated with them to the third line, the regiment 
being reduced to a little over 100 men. Naglee's brigade went 
into action with eighty-four officers and 1,670 men; of this 
number thirty-five officers and 603 men were killed, wounded, 
or taken prisoners. Up to this time, although large re-enforce- 
ments had arrived, the enemy had not been repulsed. They 
were first successfully checked by the " White Diamond " boys, 
under General Hooker, who marched up the Williamsburg 
road, deploying to the right and left in the field, in advance of 
us, as coolly as if on parade. They moved into the woods in 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



107 



line of battle, driving the enemy before them, and, much to our 
relief, we saw no more of "Johnny Reb" after that charge. 
We have thus hastily sketched what came under our own ob- 
servation — the part taken by General Casey's division, particu- 
larly Naglee's brigade, in the celebrated battle of Fair Oaks. 
General Casey was in the thickest of the fight, Hatless, liis 
gray hair exposed to the breeze, it seemed a miracle he wasn't 
killed. Naglee was struck four times, had one horse killed 
under him and another wounded. General Wessels was 
wounded and his horse killed. Some few of the men anticipat- 
ing, perhaps, McClellan's strategical movement, fell back. It 
could not be called retreating, but a " change of base," as Mc- 
Clellan styled the same kind of strategy a week or two after. 



A HOUSEFUL OF NORTHERN GENERALS. 

THE SILENT MAN. 

RELATED BY A VIRGINIA CLERGYMAN. 




It^ Y house was full of Northern 
I generals one night during 

the Virginia campaign. 

There was Sheridan, Hum- 
phreys, Meade, Custer, Ord, and quite a 
number of others, and they were a 
lively set and full of fun, with the ex- 
ception of one officer whom I noticed 
sitting in a corner smoking, and taking 
but little part in the sports in which the 
rest were engaged. They all went out 
of the house but this solitary, silent 
man, and as I was going out he asked 
me where the pump was, as he would 
like to get a drink. On offering to get 
him some water, he said : " No, sir, I 
am a younger man than you, I will go 
myself," and as I passed out he came up 
behind me. When in about the middle 
of the hall my little gi'anddaughter came 
running toward me, but the silent man, 
spreading out both arms, caught her, 
taking her up, fairly smothered with 
kisses, said : " This reminds me of my 
little girl at home, and makes me home- 



sick." In response to the question 
where is your home, he replied : " Galena, 
111., but I have my family at City Point, 
and am anxious to get back to them." 
I said, " Will you permit me to ask 
your name, sir ? " " Certainly, my name 
is Grant." " Grant," exclaimed I, " Gen- 
eral Grant ? " and I stood there awe 
stricken and paralyzed with astonish- 
ment, while my heart went out after 
this man, I thought to myself, here is 
a man whose name is now in the mouth 
of man, woman, and child throughout 
the civilized world, and yet withal he 
exhibits no emotion and seems uncon- 
cerned and unmoved until the little 
child reminds him of his loved ones 
at home, and I" fairly broke down, as 
General Grant had been pictured out to 
us as a bloody butcher, and I had looked 
for a man looking as savage as a Co- 
manche Indian. To say that I was 
agreeably disappointed when I saw 
Grant but feebly expresses my feel- 



FEEDING AN ARMT. 

STARTLING QUANTITIES OF FOOD CONSUMED. 



HENRY C. DWIGHT, Commissary 2d Div. i8th Corps. 






IDEA of the quantity of food necessary for the 
troops in camp and field may interest the 
friends of the veterans; the veterans them- 
selves know well what they had and how 
they got it. 

As captain of a company the duty was 
easily attended to. The rations were drawn 
usually by a sergeant or the company cook of 
the quartermaster of the regiment, upon 
requisition of the commanding officer of the company, usually 
for five days at a time, the variety depending on the point of 
distribution. Meat, bread, coffee, and sugar were the princi- 
pal items of the bill of fare, varied with that hated vegetable, 
rice; beans were always appreciated; potatoes, dessicated veg- 
etables, split peas and other articles were issued spasmodically. 
The bread was soft bread or hard bread as most convenient, 
but hard bread was the great staple. Salt, pepper, vinegar, and 
candles filled out the bill. 

RATION ALLOWANCES. 

The meat ration was varied by giving pork, bacon, or salt or 
fresh beef. The pork and salt beef were generally good, the 
bacon and fresh beef fair. The coffee was of superior quality, 
much better than that sold by grocers generally. The ration 
was as follows: Twelve ounces of pork or bacon, or twenty 
ounces of salt or fresh beef, twenty-two ounces of flour or soft 
bread or sixteen ounces of hard bread per day for each man; 
and to every one hundred men per day fifteen pounds of beans 

(108) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 109 

and ten pounds of rice, eight pounds of ground coffee, or one and 
one-half pounds of tea, fifteen pounds of sugar, four quarts of 
vinegar, thirty pounds of potatoes, four pounds of soap, three 
and three-fourths pounds of salt, one-fourth pound of pepper, 
one and one-fourth pounds of candle. 

COOKING THE RATIONS. 

The cooking of the rations was an item of interest, and growl- 
ing of the men was sure to follow any shortcoming, and woe 
betide any cook who disregarded this thermometer of public 
sentiment. On receiving orders to march with say five days' 
cooked rations, the meat was prepared, and haversacks filled 
with meat, bread, coffee, and sugar. The coffee and sugar were 
mixed together and each man distributed his proportion — so 
many spoonfuls — which was put into a cloth bag or wrapped in 
paper, and the men were ready for the trip. In camp the com- 
pany cook made the coffee, but on the march each man made 
his own, and they were all experts. Each man, as the halt was 
called, made a fire and putting the coffee in his cup nearly full 
of water, waited patiently for it to boil. Hard bread and raw 
salt pork were not very bad and the appetite made it exceed- 
ingly good. 

DUTIES OF A POST COMMISSARY. 

A post commissary was usually located in the vicinity of any 
large number of troops; his duties were to issue rations to 
detached troops who did not belong to any brigade or division, 
to hospitals, sell stores to officers, etc. This was the best posi- 
tion in the subsistence department. Officers did not draw 
rations, but bought their supplies for their mess. Officers cer- 
tified in writing that the stores wanted were for their own use 
and cash was paid for each purchase. Every month prices 
at which sales could be made were given by the chief com- 
missary. It was quite necessary to have post commissaries as 
the demand for stores was large and supplies could not be 
readily obtained elsewhere, except of the sutlers, and govern- 
ment prices were much less than theirs. 

THE DIVISION COMMISSARY. 

The division commissary's position was one of great responsi- 
bility, but his duties were limited to issuing to the brigade 
commissaries. He issued in original packages, to the brigade 



110 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

commissaries, who in turn issued to regiments, batteries, etc., 
of his brigade, the quartermaster of each regiment issuing to 
the companies of his regiment. 

Night and day the mules were hitched to or near the wagons, 
as the orders might come at any hour to move. This wagon 
train was quite an army of itself. The great quantity of food 
that an army required can be imagined from the fact that it 
took thirty-nine six-mule teams for my own division. There 
were three divisions in this corps and usually this number in 
all corps. The wagons had the corps badge on the covers— the 
first division red, the second white, and the third blue. The 
wagon train was managed by the head teamster, who was a 
man of untiring energy and usually of profanity enough for 
the 200 to 300 mules in his charge. Every wagon had one 
teamster, and it was marvelous how they could drive in 
and over roads that surpass any you can conceive of for ine- 
quality and mud. During August and September, 1864, the 
supply of fresh bread was made at Norfolk, Va. , for my divi- 
sion, brought by steamer up the James and Appomattox rivers 
to Point of Rocks, Va., or Bermuda Hundred. Fresh bread 
was issued two days in five, hard bread the other three; but 
one brigade at a time could be served. This bread was very 
good and the quantity, one loaf for each man, amply suffi- 
cient. 

My colored boy, Joe Gray, was told by his mistress that the 
Yankees were awful people, had nails in their bread, etc. Joe 
ran away and came into Washington, N. C. He saw a soldier 
eating his supper and asked him to give him some bread. The 
soldier throw him a "hard-tack." 

Joe bit into it and there was a nail in the first bite. "Aha," 
says Joe, "the old ooman was right, Yankees have nails in the 
bread, sure nuf." 

The hard bread which was packed in boxes of eighty pounds 
each, had different marks or brands. Some were marked " B. 
C." The boys said they knew some of it was old, but they 
could not comprehend why it had been kept so long on hand, 
and asked for some marked "Anno Domini." 

My endeavors to feed the troops with the full ration, varied 
as much as possible. I was ably seconded by those with whom 
I was associated and the division under my charge were as 
well fed as any in the army. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. Ill 

The list given will show what the 2d Div. under my charge 
had to eat in August, 1864: — 

Pork, 448 barrels, 

Bacon, 13,109 barrels. 

Ham, 1,434 barrels, 

Salt beef, 76 barrels. 

Fresh beef, 51,155 pounds. 

Flour (soft bread) 5'28 barrels. 

Dried apples, 4,611 pounds. 

Coffee, 13,510 pounds. 

Tea, 1,392 pounds. 

Brown sugar, 42,469 pounds, 

White sugar, . . .• 7,333 pounds. 

Vinegar, 1,975 gallons. 

Salt fish, 15,205 pounds, 

Candles, 3,075 pounds, 

Potatoes, 69,066 pounds. 

Hard bread, 144,883 pounds, 

Onions, 25,063 pounds, 

Beets, 5,251 pounds, 

Beans, 30,772 pounds, 

Salt, 10,962 pounds, 

Kice, 3,619 pounds, 

Whisky, 4,198 gallons, 

Besides pepper, peas, soap, and other lesser supplies. 

Whisky was an extra ration, issued generally day by day as 
occasion might require, the season of the year and the duty 
required having more or less to do with it. The ration was one 
gill per day to each man. 

The ration of whisky did not always satisfy the wants of 
some of the boys, and they resorted to many ways to get some. 
My clerk was frequently offered twenty-five dollars for a can- 
teen full (about a quart) and in one instance he was offered 
fifty dollars. All such bids were declined, as it could be sold 
only to officers who made written requisition for it, certifying it 
was for their own use. Sometimes the officer's signature was 
forged, but this was exceptional; 1 remember but one instance. 
In this case an officer very pompously made known his griev- 
ance, and expatiated at length on the lack of intelligence of the 
commissary. Orders were given to decline any orders with 
his name attached, and the officer said all right. In a few 
moments he came back and asked, "What am I to do when 
I want some myself?" "Go without it," I said. He replied, 
"Never mind the possibility of orders being forged, go on as 
you have been doing; I take it all back, I want some ray- 



112 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

self." One man having indulged too freely in whisky was 
reprimanded and he said, " You must not expect all the moral 
virtues for sixteen dollars a month." 

The Sanitary Commission had its representative about the 
several hospitals to see about the distribution of the supplies so 
generously sent to the soldiers and the boys invented many ex- 
cuses to get hold of the good things. These representatives, 
however, were wide-awake and seldom failed to understand 
the tricks. One day, three officers, being " dry as a fish," 
thought well of applying to the Sanitary Commission for some 
stores. They deputized one of their servants to wait upon 
Sanitary and present their claim. This duty fell upon "Tip," 
who at once went and made known his wants. Sanitary said. 
" What do you want? " Tip was rather taken back by so direct 
an inquiry and looking around saw so much stuff he could 
hardly fix upon any article, but finally said, " Canned peaches." 
"What is the matter with your sick friend," said Sanitary. 
"Chronic diarrhoea," said Tip. "Chronic diarrhoeal " said Sani- 
tary; "canned peaches are the worst thing he could have." 
Tip went out and returned to his comrades, telling them of his 
failure. Their actions were clouded by words we will not repeat. 

Thus the veteran of 1861 to 1865 fared for food. There were 
no luxuries, but there was little grumbling on that account. 
The articles furnished were as a rule the best to be obtained. 

Brave old souls! they fought well, and nobly did they win. 
Many are still with us to-day. In every town, city, and village 
they live. They walk your streets and visit your homes. Be- 
neath a plain exterior and a figure perhaps poorly or plainly 
clad, there beats the heart of as brave a soldier as the world 
ever knew; and though perhaps it may be only a private, cor- 
poral, or sergeant, yet he did his part, he fought the fight as 
well as any one ever did or could— and that is enough for any 
man. 



GAINES' MILL POPULAR GOVERNMENT. 



The battle of Gaines' Mill was the The test of popular government on 

beginning of the disasters of the army trial, which was applied to us at the 

under McClellan, and it raised the only time of the Presidential election of 

formidable siege made to Richmond 1864, was such as had never before been 

during the war. applied to any nation on earth. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



113 





I 



THK BATTLK KLAOS, 



MOSES G. OWEN, BATH, ME. 



j^ OTHTNG but flags— but simple 
flags, 



in rags ; 

And we walk beneath them with care- 
less tread, 

Nor think of the hosts of the mighty 
dead 

Who have marched ifeneath them in 
days gone by 

With a burning cheek and a kindling 
eye, 

And have bathed their folds in their 
young life's tide. 

And dying blessed them, and blessing 
died. 

Nothing but flags — yet methinks at night 
They tell each other their tales of fright ; 
And dim specters come, and their thin 

arms twine 
Round each standard torn as they stand 

in line, 
And the word is given, — they charge 1 

they form ! 
And the dim hall rings with the battle 

storm, 
And once again through the smoke and 

strife 
Those colors lead to a Nation's life. 



Nothing but flags — yet they're bathed 
in tears ; 

They tell of triumphs, of hopes, of 
fears ; 

Of a mother's prayers, of a boy away ; 

Of a serpent crushed, of the coming 
day ! 

Silent they speak, yet the tears will 
stai't 

As we stand beneath them with throb- 
bing heart, 

And think of those who are ne'er forgot ; 

Their flags come home — why come they 
not? 



Nothing but flags — yet we hold our 

breath 
And gaze with awe at those types of 

death. 
Nothing but flags, yet the thought will 

come, 
The heart must pray, though the lips 

be dumb ! 
They are sacred, pure, and we see no 

stain 
On those dear loved flags, come home 

again ; 
Baptized in blood, our purest, best. 
Tattered and torn, they're now at rest. 



A Shot Fired at the Wrons Time. 




NOBOBY DIB iT. 




FIRST INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL SHERMAN, 

By GEISr. GEO. K. I^^cGINNIS. 




BOUT eight o'clock a. m., April 8, 18G2, the 
morning after the second day's fight at 
Shiloh, while quietly seated at my head- 
quarters, which was the butt end of a 
tree, close to the road and about three 
hundred yards in advance of Shiloh meeting 
house, my attention was attracted by a solitary horseman com- 
ing in my direction. He was dressed in citizens' clothes which 
would not improperly have been called " misfit." He was lean 
and lank, with sandy complexion, hair, and beard, the latter 
looking as though it had not been cut for a week or ten days. I 
concluded from his general appearance that he was an honest 
old farmer who had a son in the army, and, being anxious 
about him, had left home, without preparation, as soon as he 
got news of the battle, to look after and care for that son in case 
he should find him killed or wounded. As soon as my supposed 
farmer came within speaking distance, the following conversa- 
tion took place: — 

J^" Good morning, sir." 

He—" Good morning. What regiment is this?" 
J—" The 11th Indiana, sir." 
He—" Who is the colonel? " 
J—" McGinnis." 
i?e—" Where is McGinnis?" 
I — " I'm the man, sir." 

He — (Looking at me with astonishment, and apparently 
amazed that such a looking chap as I was should be intrusted 

(114) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 115 

with the command of a regiment of men) " I am General Sher- 
man." 

I — (My turn to be astonished, and for the moment dum- 
founded, and without thinking of the enormity of the offense) 
" The — (revised edition) you are!" 

He — (Seeing the point, and taking in the situation, smilingly) 
" Yes." 

There had been an alarm in camp that morning; the men on 
picket duty had deserted their posts and came tearing through 
our quarters as though the rebel army was at their heels. I 
succeeded in persuading a big lieutenant to stop long enough 
to tell me that they had been driven in by the rebels. I couldn't 
get another word. He was the worst scared man I ever saw. 
There was not a word of truth in his story, as the rebel army 
was miles away, making the best of their way to Corinth. The 
alarm was caused by several of our regiments discharging their 
pieces. This was done without authority and without notice to 
any one, and for a few minutes led many to believe that 
another battle was on. This affair riled General Sherman ter- 
ribly. He put on his war paint and started out to give orders 
in person. After the above introduction, the general asked in- 
formation in relation to any disturbance in our front, and re- 
ceived all I could give him. He then delivered a short oration, 
and closed with an order to arrest any man who was caught in 
the act of firing a gun or pistol. Send him under guard to his 
headquarters, and he would have him shot. I assured General 
Sherman his order should be obeyed. He was assured that 
no man in the 11th Regt. had discharged a gun that morning, 
and that all the men were then engaged in cleaning their arms. 

The general, satisfied that his orders would be obeyed, with a 
pleasant good morning, passed on up the road, and I reoccupied 
my headquarters. A message was immediately sent to com- 
pany officers to caution their men in regard to firing, and in- 
forming them of Sherman's orders. Sherman had certainly 
not gone more than one hundred yards, when " bang" went a 
musket right on the left of my regiment. I knew it was in 
Company K. I looked up the road, saw Sherman stop and look 
back; jumped to my feet and started toward the left, just as 
Sherman turned his horse to come back. I got to K quarters 
but a minute after my message had been delivered, and asked, 
" Who fired that gun?" The answer came back from a dozen 



116 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

throats, " It was over in that regiment on the left, colonel." O, 
but the private soldiers were sharp. 

Said I, "Are you sure it was not fired by a Company K man?" 
Every man was sure. 

Said I: " There is General Sherman ready to have the man 
who fired that gun shot, if he can be found. Are you still sure 
as to where that shot was fired?" Every man was willing to 
swear and stick to it that the shot was fired by the regiment 
on our left, and they were so earnest about it that I wanted to 
believe them. 

In fact, I was so anxious and determined to save my boys 
from being shot, that I did believe them, and reported to Sher- 
man, who was waiting for me, that I had thought at first the 
shot was fired in my regiment, but after a hasty investigation 
I was fully satisfied that it was in the next regiment beyond, 
and doubtless accidental. 

He looked a little queer, asked some very direct questions, 
acted as though he didn't believe me any more than I believed 
the boys, and with the caution, " Tell the boys to be careful or 
somebody will get hurt," rode away. 

This was my first introduction to General Sherman. 

A SUROICAL WONDKR. 

By DR. HUNTER McGTJIRE, Chief Surgeon on "Stonewall" Jackson's Staff. 



THE ONLY MAN ON RECORD WHO HAS SEEN HIS OWN LIVER. 

FTER one of the battles in the want is for some one to do something 

valley of Virginia I was riding for me." 

y^ along a dusty road one hot day Although the case appeared a hope- 

I when I saw a Confederate officer less one, I procured a tub of water 

\ lying upon the ground desperately and washed the wound, then handed 

^ wounded. Upon an examination I him a mirror and in it he saw reflected 

discovered that he had received a his own liver. Upon an examina- 

wound in the abdomen. His intestines tion, I discovered that the walls of 

were protruding several inches, and the stomach had not been injured, 

covered with dust. I expressed my The wound was sewed up and the 

regret at being unable to do anything officer rapidly recovered. The case is 

for the sufferer. He was in good spirits, one of the most remarkable ones that 

and replied : " Two or three other doc- have ever come to the knowledge of the 

tors have said the same thing. What I medical profession. 



"Johnny Shiloh." 

(JOHN L. CLENl.) 

•e: ©rammer ^©^ of ©fiicufiamaHga. 



WONDERFUL CAREER OF A TEN-YEAR OLD BOY. 






^^''^HIS lad went into the 
[U Being refused as a 
^ train which carried 
front, determined to 
possible, but to go anyhow, 
the 22d Mich., but though 
fof his indomitable spirit he 
that organization. Young 
duties and movements of 
he gained the goal of his 
listed as a drummer. This 
the battle of Shiloh 
of eleven years covered [ji 
He went in as a volun- 
deadly shower of shot 
himself a man. With |§ 
swinging between his 
marched up the bloody 
beating the charge 
paid to beat. The 
by an exploding shell, 
then felled to earth by 
trudged along, advanc- 
the command with- 




army in '61, a boy of ten. 
drummer, he boarded the 
the 3d Ohio Regt. to the 
go as an enlisted man if 
He next offered himself to 
refused, out of admiration 
was permitted to accompany 
Clem participated in the 
this regiment until '62, when 
ambition by being duly en- 
was not, however, until after 
In that fight this boy 
his name with glory, 
teer and under the 
and shell he bore 
a regulation drum 
youthful legs he 
hill from the river 
that others were 
drum was smashed 
but the boy, now and 
the falling branches 
ingand receding, as 
stood or wavered un- 



der the scorching fire of the rebels. That this fire was deadly 
was evidenced by the corpses so thickly strewn that one could 

(117) 



118 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

almost step from body to body at a single stride. Had he 
been a man, at the close of that engagement he would have 
been rewarded with a commission. As it was, they enlisted 
him as a drummer, and gave him the right to wear the 
blue. From then he was known as "Johnny Shiloh." At 
Chickamauga he distinguished himself still more grandly, and 
won the imperishable name of " The Drummer Boy of Chicka- 
mauga." 

This stripling was not satisfied with a drum. He wanted to 
fight. Full of pluck and that courage which makes heroes, he 
demanded a musket. To comply with his desire a gun had to 
be cut down to his diminutive size, so that he could load it. On 
the 23d of September, 1863, armed with this shortened musket 
and seated on the caisson of a light battery, he was whirled to 
the front of battle once more, and permitted to take his place 
as a soldier in the ranks. In the midst of the leaden hail that 
followed he worked his little musket for all it was worth. His 
command was in a tight place and was forced back toward 
Chattanooga. The brigade attempted to make a stand and was 
surrounded by the enemy. Little Johnny had not been able to 
get back as fast as the men, and in the advancing line of rebels 
rode a rebel colonel. The latter, sword in air, called to the boy 
to surrender, applying a foul epithet to him. Johnny had that 
morning told his comrades that he would never surrender, and 
he hadn't changed his mind it seems, for he pulled up the short- 
ened musket and sent a bullet througli the rebel heart. As 
the colonel tumbled from his saddle they charged over little 
Johnny's prostrate body, horse, foot, and dragoons. This was 
a good thing for little Johnny, though he probably didn't ap- 
preciate it at the moment. While the rest of his command 
were killed or captured he got up after nightfall and made his 
way to Chattanooga. He got tli||ee bullet holes through his 
cap that day. General Rosecrans made him a sergeant and 
placed him on the roll of honor for that day's work. 

He was now but twelve years of age and had participated in 
the battles of Perryville, Stone River, Kenesaw Mountain, 
Resaca, Nashville, and every important operation of the Army 
of the Cumberland. He was captured shortly after the battle 
of Chickamauga, and was paroled in sixty days and sent to 
Camp Chase for exchange. When he reached the Union lines 
he found Pop Thomas in command. The latter made him an 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



119 



orderly sergeant and attached him to his staff. At Atlanta, 
while delivering a dispatch to General Logan, his pony was 
shot under him and a bullet took effect in Johnny's shoulder. 
His lack of education and age alone stood between young Clem 
and a commission. At the close of the war he went to Indian- 
apolis and began to qualify himself for a cadetship. To this 
Grant afterward appointed him. But he failed at West Point. 
While other boys had been at school, Johnny had been fighting 
in the field. He was appointed to the army from civil life, has 
served in the field on the frontier since and has been promoted 
to captain and assistant quartermaster. He is still boyish- 
looking, small of stature, and, in spite of the flattery and honors 
heaped upon him, as modest a young man as ever wore 
regimentals. 



FIRST WAR MEETING AT GALENA, ILL 

PRESIDED OVER BV GRANT. 

Related by His Townsman and Neighbor, E. B. Washburn. 



WALKED home with General 
Grant from the first war meeting 
which was held at Galena, and 
over which the general presided. 
He said to me : " I am going into this 
thing. I am going to begin at the foot 
of the ladder. I am acquainted with 
the governor of Ohio, and I am going 
to write to him to-night and ask him to 
give me a commission." I asked him 
why he did not apply to Governor Yates. 
He replied that he knew Ohio's gov- 
ernor and should write to him. Before 
his application was answered I was in 
Springfield, and Governor Yates said to 
me : " We have got men enough and 
money enough, but we have no one 
here to organize ; we need a military 
man here." To which I replied : " We 
have got just the very man up at 
Galena that you want." " Who is he ? " 
" Captain Grant." " Wlio is Captain 



Grant?" I explained that he was a 
graduate of West Point and had seen 
service in the Mexican war. " Send 
Captain Grant down here," was the 
reply. While Grant was at work at the 
duty assigned him the colonel of a 
regiment came in one day and said that 
he could do nothing with his men and 
offered to resign in Grant's favor if he 
would take command of it. Grant 
went out to see the regiment, and, being 
satisfied that the men were full of fight 
and would make good soldiers, accepted 
the command. Instead of taking his 
soldiers from Springfield to Quincy by 
rail, he marched them on foot, and by 
the time they reached their destination 
they knew they had no militia colonel 
to deal with. Then followed Belmont, 
Donelson, Shiloh, and those other vic- 
tories which have placed Grant's name 
with the highest of the world's heroes. 




BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 

Sept. 17, 1862. 
A CRITICAL MOMENT FOR THE CONFEDERATES, 

By QENERAIv LO NO ST RE EX. 

|HE Federals fought with wonderful bravery and the 
Confederates clung to their ground with heroic 
courage as, hour after hour, they were mown down 
like grass. The fresh troops of McClellan literally 
tore into shreds the already ragged army of Lee, but 
the Confederates never gave back. 

I remember at one time they were surging up against us with 
fearful numbers. I was occupying the left over by Hood, whose 
ammunition gave out. He retired to get a fresh supply. Soon 
after, the Federals moved up against us in great masses. 

We were under the crest of a hill, occupying a position that 
ought to have been held by from four to six brigades. The 
only troops there were Cooke's regiment of North Carolina In- 
fantry, without a cartridge. As I rode along the line with my 
staff, I saw two pieces of the Washington Artillery (Miller's 
Battery), but there were not enough men to man them. The 
gunners had been either killed or wounded. This was a fear- 
ful situation for the Confederate center. I put my staff-officers 
to the guns while I held their horses. It was easy to see that 
if the Federals broke through our line there, the Confederate 
army would be cut in two and probably destroyed, for we were 
already badly whipped and were only holding our ground from 
sheer desperation. Cooke sent me word that his ammunition 
was out. I replied that he must hold his position as long as he 
had a man left. He responded that he would show his colors 
as long as there was a man alive to hold them up. We loaded 
up our little guns with canister and sent a rattle of hail into the 
Federals as they came up over tbe crest of the hill. 

(120) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 121 

There was more business to the square inch in that little bat- 
tery than in any I ever saw, and it shot harder and faster and 
with a sort of human energy as it seemed to realize that it was 
to hold the thousands of Federals at bay or the battle was lost. 
So warm was the reception we gave them that they dodged 
back behind the crest of the hill. V/e sought to make them be- 
lieve we had many batteries before them instead of only two 
little guns. As the Federals would come up they would see the 
colors of the North Carolina regiment waving placidly, and 
then would receive a shower of canister. We made it lively 
while it lasted. In the mean time General Chilton, General 
Lee's chief of staff, made his way to me and asked, ''Where 
are the troops you are holding your line with?" I pointed to 
my two pieces and to Cooke's regiment, and replied, '' There 
they are; but that regiment hasn't a cartridge." 

Chilton's eyes popped as though they would come out of his 
head, he struck spurs to his horse and away he went to General 
Lee. I suppose he made some remarkable report, although I 
did not see General Lee again until night. 



Sheridan's Kox Hunt. 

ADAM BADEAU. 



^URING the winter General Sher- hounds. A pack of hounds was found 

idan remained near Winchester, and a day set for the chase. The 

^gi but as soon as the roads and the hounds were brought into Winchester, 




x^Ciii rains allowed, Grant directed the horses were shod, and all the talk 

^ him to push once more u]j the val- of the country around was of Sheri- 

ley — this time not to return. lie dan's hunt. On the appointed day the 

was to advance in the direction of whole neighborhood came to the meet, 

Richmond, destroying the railroads in the general and his staff conspicuous, 

every direction, as well as all stores The start was made and the run was 

that could possibly be of use to the good, but the general and staff went 

enemy. In order to conceal his pu)- further than the Virginians, and the 

pose, Sheridan resorted to one of those army followed. They rode after the 

ingenious devices in which he was un- enemy and never returned. The strat- 

rivaled since the days of Hannibal, agem had kept all the news of 

He learned that the people of the Sheridan's intentions secret, as all his 

neighborhood were fond of hunting, preparations were attributed to the 

and encouraged his staff to make their hunt, and he was far on his way before 

acquaintance and talk of foxes and the wile was discovered. 



The Battle of Antietam. 



iSGS. 



The Fearless Hooker.— Burnside and the 9th Corps Immortalized.— Sumner 
Invincible.- McClellan Hesitates. 



By REV. THEO. OERRISH, SOth Nlaine. 





"^^ '^PON the morning of September 17, 1803, the 
rebels before Antietam had brilliant expec- 
tations. The delay of our commanding gene- 
ral in not pressing battle has enabled General 
Lee to add the victorious column of Jackson and 
Lawton, from Harper's Ferry to his army, so that he 
confronted the Union forces with 100,000 men. His 
left wing is commanded by Jackson, his right by Longstreet, 
and his center by A. P. Hill. He has position in his favor, for, 
to reach them, the Union army under McClellan must cross the 
deep Antietam creek and storm the heights beyond. There are 
no means of crossing possible save by three bridges, which are 
heavily enfiladed by rebel artillery and infantry. General 
Hooker had carried the upper bridge near Hagerstown the 
afternoon before, and now after sleeping on his arms his gal- 
lant men with moving column and waving banners early open 
the fray. Two batteries supported by strong lines of infantry, 
advance from the woods into the cornfield, and the enemy at- 
tempt to seize the guns. It is a bloody reception. Back and 
forth the lines advance and recede; first one and then the 
other, victor. Whole lines melt away in the terrible carnage. 
A full hour the conflict rages, and then the rebel lines fall back 
amid the cheer of Union troops. Stonewall Jackson has found 
in Joe Hooker his match for desperate daring. Hooker's tall 
form, mounted upon his gray steed, had been for an hour in the 
thickest of the fight. General Meade's Penn. Reserves now 
move forward to follow up the advantage. They charge across 

(122) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 123 

the field, slippery with blood, to the woods where the rebels had 
disappeared. Great God, what a reception ! The forest seemed 
to yawn and vomit forth a volcano of leaden fire; they reel and 
stagger under that fearful tempest. Brigades are reduced to 
regiments in a moment, and soon the re-enforced enemy charge 
back and hurl Meade from the field. It is a critical moment; a 
staff officer dashes to Doubleday with the order, " Send me 
your best brigade instantly," and Hartsuff' s brigade, composed 
mostly of Massachusetts troops, double quick to the field, and in 
a wild and fearless manner charge upon the exultant foe. 
They struck the rebel line, seemingly five-fold stronger than 
they, with terrific force and it recoiled before them. They 
threw themselves upon the ground and for thirty minutes held 
the rebels at bay; then with exhausted ammunition, Hartsuff's 
line springs to its feet and rolls the enemy back to the woods 
from which they had assaulted the column of General Meade. 
'Tis now 10 A. M., and, with four hours of carnage, no advan- 
tage has been gained by either side. Hooker's entire command 
is now moving for a grand and desperate effort. Hooker is at 
the front I Regiments, brigades, and divisions swing into line at 
the double quick. The hillside flames with fire. A terrific roar 
fills the air. Clouds of sulphurous smoke cover the scene and 
the ground shakes as with the agony of a great struggle. Hooker 
is wounded and borne from the field, and the enemy, re-enforced 
from the center, is crowding hard. General Sumner at an op- 
portune moment assumes command, and in the thickest of the 
fight leads bravely on. The enemy meets shock after shock with 
invincible daring and soon the wavering Union lines give up 
the field. It is now past noon, and while Sumner is invincible to 
attack his force is too much reduced for assault. Just then the 
welcome sight of troops moving from the Hagerstown bridge 
greets the commander's eye, and a few moments later General 
Franklin's corps is there to his support. Smith's Maine and 
Vermont brigade retake the ground and like a holocaust sweep 
everything from the field and the woods before them. It is 
done and well done; a glorious victory, in which all must share. 
Down on the left the gallant Burnside had been doing noble 
work also. The 9th Corps had slept on the ridge overlooking 
the stone bridge, and at 9 a. m. , Burnside in person led the as- 
sault. It was fearful. They reached the bridge amidst hun- 
dreds of bursting shells, while 20,000 muskets poured in their 



124 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

fire of death. They cross; deploy; form line of battle; dash up 
the hill; retreat, surge back and forth; join in a hand to hand 
conflict, and though the enemy have all the advantage, his 
first line is at length carried at the point of the bayonet. There 
is another terrific struggle; another death embrace, and at 
length another tumultuous yell rolls up the line and tells that 
Burnside's men have carried the heights. Again bursts forth a 
terrific fire at the right, but it soon dies out before the victorious 
Union host; but the lifeless form of the brave Mansfield is 
carried to the rear. Lee seeing his right to be the point of 
greatest danger, orders A. P. Hill there; but he arrives too late 
to save Longstreet from defeat. That position must be regained 
at any cost is the word from Lee. Burnside sees the gathering 
host, and a foaming steed dashes to McClellan v^itli the v^ord, 
" send me men and guns, and I will sweep all before me, but I 
cannot hold this position without re-enforcements." Fitz John 
Porter, with 20,000 men who as yet have only smelt the pow- 
der, stands ready for the order. To give it means the over- 
throw of Longstreet and Hill; the seizure of the Potomac fords, 
and the capture of Lee's army. McClellan hesitates. Oh, for 
one hour of Grant or the dashing Phil Sheridan! Rise, Mc- 
Clellan, to the greatness of your opportunity, and hurl the 
traitor army to the wall. Alas! too timid, and too weak! The 
word goes back, "Tell Burnside to hold on; it is the greatest 
battle of the war; I have no infantry to send; if he is driven 
back, he must hold the bridge, for if we lose that we lose all. 
'Tis a fatal mistake, Burnside is overpowered and slowly but 
obstinately relinquishes the field. He holds the bridge and 
darkness ends the conflict. Lee sees the handwriting upon 
the wall; and what he cannot gain by fighting, he gains by 
cunning. An armistice must be had to bury the dead, and 
while this progresses the defeated rebel army skulks away and 
gain the fords of the Potomac, and the Union army curses the 
powers that be which after a sacrifice of 2,010 killed, and 9,416 
wounded, robs them of the blood bought fruits of their victory. 



Lee Troubled by Meade.— General Cheapest Victory.— The cheapest 

Lee said that General Meade had given victory ever won on the battle field 

him as much or more trouble than any was the battle of Darbeytown Road, 

other general. Oct. 7, 1864. 




The Artillery Duel at Antietam. 

SEPT. 17, 1862. 

H. H. BOWLES, CO. C, 6tti IMaine. 





NE of the most fearful artillery duels at 
short range that I ever witnessed occurred 
at the immediate right of the cornfield at 
Antietam on the morning of September 17, 
1862. In that giant struggle for the mastery on 
that fearful field in the long ago, when division 
after division of the Union army was swept away in rapid suc- 
cession by fighting at close quarters, when charge was met by 
counter charge, where Mansfield, Hooker, and Richardson 
were killed or wounded ere the sun had scarce risen, and 
Sedgwick's division in turn was sent hustling back in wild 
disorder, — it was just at this time that our brigade (Hancock's) 
came in on the double quick, meeting Sedgwick's division 
falling back. We were composed of the Gth Me., 5th Wis., 43d 
N. Y., and 49th Penn. It was a fearfully hot day, and we had 
been running all the morning to get on the field, and as we 
came up upon the double quick through a piece of timber, to 
the east of the cornfield, by the right fiank, we saw abundant 
evidence of the rout or disaster of Sedgwick's division. The 
woods and fields were full of stragglers and wounded men. 
Cannon shot and shell were flying in all directions. It seemed 
as though the air was alive with missiles of destruction. Gen- 
eral Sumner came riding up, bare-headed, his long, white hair 
streaming in the wind, his tall form erect, and gave some 
orders in a clear, distinct voice. Our brigade formed quickly 
into line and advanced to the edge of the cornfield and lay 
down, where the ground fell off considerably, so that we were 
partially covered, expecting every moment to be ordered to 
charge. As we came out of the field we passed Captain Frank's 
N. Y. battery on our immediate right in position, and " bellow- 

(125) 



126 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

ing like mad." They were five-inch Napoleon guns. The can- 
noneers, many of them, were working with their sleeves rolled 
up, and some of them bare to the skin to their waist, and were 
black and grim with powder and smoke. The guns were vom- 
iting forth grape and canister, double shotted at every dis- 
charge, and fairly leaped from their position at every shot. 
They were making a perfect hell of every inch of ground in 
front and on either flank. I never witnessed such rapid firing 
or saw guns worked as they were. Captain Frank was riding 
back and forth calling for supports for his battery, for, as we 
came up, his battery was wholly unsupported. In our immedi- 
ate front the ground was literally covered with dead and dying. 
The gray coats of the Confederates were thickly mingled with 
the blue of the Union dead. The green coats of the U. S. sharp- 
shooters and the red trousers and embroidered jackets of the 
14th Brooklyn lay thickly among the corn hills, and along 
by the rail fence were whole windrows of dead of both blue and 
gray. The sunken road was filled with dead and dying. Way 
over by the edge of the field nearest the Union lines, by the 
east wood, lay the body of a rebel colonel shot all to pieces. 
The rebel sharpshooters were posted in the tree-tops in the west 
woods, and were picking off our men one by one. Little 
Charlie King — a bright eyed, dark-haired drummer boy of the 
49tli Penn., about twelve years of age, and the favorite of his 
regiment — was standing behind me, when a minie ball pierced 
his breast and he fell into my arms calling the name of his 
mother. The wound did not cause death at the time so we 
took him to the rear and gave him in charge of the surgeon. 
But we could not wait and leaving him in gentle hands we 
hurried back to the front with our comrades. The deep boom- 
ing of cannon went on, and hilltop answered hilltop with 
thunder, flame, and smoke. As I watched the working of these 
batteries, the rapid firing, the wonderful precision of their shots, 
I could but think of Marshal Ney at Waterloo, when assault- 
ing the English squares, struck with admiration for the English 
batteries in his front, he paused and gave them the military 
salute. The day wore on and gradually the firing ceased as 
by m.utual consent, and the enemy were again compelled to 
retreat into Virginia and to their old lines across the Rappahan- 
nock. 



Night on the Field of Fredericksburg. 

GEN. J. L. CHAMBERLAIN, LL. D., Ex. -President Bowdoin College, Me. 





NWARD time moves. Many years have passed 
since " Fredericksburg." Of what then was 
not much is left but memory. Faces and 
forms of men and things that then were 
have changed — perchance to dust. New 
Hfe has covered some; the rest look but lin- 
gering farewells. 
But, whatever changes may beautify those storm-swept and 
barren slopes, there is one character from which they can never 
pass. Death-gardens, haunted by glorious ghosts, they must 
abide. No bloom can there unfold which does not wear the 
rich token of the inheritance of heroic blood; no breeze be 
wafted that does not bear the breath of the immortal life there 
breathed away. 

Of all that splendid but unavailing valor no one has told the 
story; nor can I. The pen has no wing to follow where that 
sacrifice and devotion sped their flight. But memory may rest 
down on some night-scenes, too quiet and somber with shadow 
to be vividly depicted, and yet which have their interest from 
very contrast with the tangled and lurid lights of battle. 

The desperate charge was over. We had not reached the 
enemy's fortifications, but only that fatal crest where we had 
seen five lines of battle mount but to be cut to earth as by a 
sword-swoop of fire. We had that costly honor which some- 
times falls to the " reserve " — to go in when all is havoc and 
confusion, through storm and slaughter, to cover the broken 
and depleted ranks of comrades and take the battle from their 
hands. Thus we had replaced the gallant few still struggling 

(127) 



128 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

on the crest, and received that withering fire, which nothing 
could withstand, by throwing ourselves flat in a slight hollow 
of the ground, within pistol shot of the enemy's works; and, 
mingled with the dead and dying that strewed -the field, we re- 
turned the fire till it reddened into night, and at last fell away 
through darkness into silence. 

But out of that silence from the battle's crash and roar rose 
new sounds more appalling still; rose or fell, you knew not 
which, or whether from the earth or air; a strange ventrilo- 
quism, of which you could not locate the source, a smothered 
moan that seemed to come from distances beyond reach of the 
natural sense, a wail so far and deep and wide, as if a thousand 
discords were flowing together into a key-note weird, unearthly, 
terrible to hear and bear, yet startling with its nearness; the 
writhing concord broken by cries for help, pierced by shrieks 
of paroxysm; some begging for a drop of water; some calling 
on God for pity; and some on friendly hands to finish what the 
enemy had so horribly begun; some with delirious, dreamy 
voices murmuring loved names, as if the dearest were bending 
over them; some gathering their last strength to fire a musket 
to call attention to them where they lay helpless and deserted; 
and underneath, all the time, that deep bass note from closed 
lips too hopeless or too heroic to articulate their agony. 

Who could sleep, or who would? Our position was isolated 
and exposed. Officers must be on the alert with their com- 
mand. But the human took the mastery of the official; sym- 
pathy of soldiership. Command could be devolved; but pity, 
not. So with a staff officer I sallied forth to see what we could 
do where the helpers seemed so few. Taking some observa- 
tions in order not to lose the bearing of our own position, we 
guided our steps by the most piteous of the cries. Our part was 
but little; to relieve a painful posture; to give a cooling draught 
to fevered lips; to compress a severed artery, as we had learned 
to do, though in bungling fashion; to apply a |-ude bandage, 
which yet might prolong the life to saving; to take a token or 
farewell message for some stricken home; it was but little, yet 
it was an endless task. We had moved towards the right and 
rear of our own position — the part of the field immediately 
above the city. The farther we went the more the need 
deepened, and the calls multiplied. Numbers half wakening 
from the lethargy of death, or of despair, by sounds of succor, 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 129 

begged us to take them quickly to a surgeon; and when we 
could not do that, imploring us to do the next most merciful 
service and give them quick dispatch out of their misery. 
Right glad were we when, after midnight, the shadowy ambu- 
lances came, gliding along,^ and the kindly hospital stewards, 
with stretchers and soothing appliances, let us feel that we 
might return to our proper duty. 

And now we were aware of other figures wandering, ghost- 
like, over the field. Some on errands like our own, drawn by 
compelling appeals; some seeking a lost comrade, with uncer- 
tain steps amidst the unknown, and ever and anon bending 
down to scan the pale visage closer, or, it may be, by the light 
of a brief match, whose blue, flickering flame scarcely can give 
the features a more recognizable or more human look; some 
man, desperately wounded, yet seeking, with faltering step, 
before his fast ebbing blood shall have left him too v/eak to 
move, some quiet or sheltered spot out of sound of the terrible 
appeals he could neither answer nor endure, or out of reach of 
the raging battle coming with the morning; one creeping, yet 
scarcely moving, from one lifeless form to another, if, per- 
chance, he might find a swallow of water in the canteen still 
swung from the dead soldier's side; or another, as with just re- 
turning or just remaining consciousness, vainly striving to rise 
from a mangled heap, that he may not be burled with them 
while yet alive; or some man, yet sound of body, but pacing 
feverishly his ground because in such a bivouac his spirit could 
not sleep. And so we picked our way back, amidst the stark, 
upturned faces, to our little living line. 

The night chill had now woven a misty veil over the field. 
Fortunately, a picket fence we had encountered in our charge 
from the town had compelled us to abandon our horses, and so 
had saved our lives on the crest; but our overcoats had been 
strapped to the saddles, and we missed them now. Most of the 
men, however, had their overcoats or blankets — we were glad 
of that. Except the few sentries along the front, the men had 
fallen asleep — the living with the dead. At last, outwearied 
and depressed with the desolate scene, my own strength sunk, 
and I moved two dead men a little and lay down between them, 
making a pillow of the breast of a third. The skirt of his over- 
coat drawn over my face helped also to shield me from the 
bleak winds. There was some comfort even in this companion- 



130 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

ship. But it was broken sleep. The deepening chill drove 
many forth to take the garments of those who could no longer 
need them, that they might keep themselves alive. More than 
once I was startled from my unrest by some one turning back 
the coat-skirt from my face, peering, half vampire-like, to my 
fancy, through the darkness, to discover if it too were of the 
silent and unresisting; turning away more disconcerted at my 
living word than if a voice had spoken from the dead. 

Having held our places all the night, we had to keep to them 
all the more closely the next day, for it would be certain death 
to attempt to move away. As it was, it was only by making 
breastworks and barricades of the dead men that covered the 
field that we saved any alive. We did what we could to take 
a record of these men. A testament that had fallen from the 
breast pocket of the soldier who had been my pillow, I sent soon 
after to his home — he was not of my command — and it proved 
to be the only clue his parents ever had to his fate. 

The next midnight, after thirty-six hours of this harrowing 
work, we were bidden to withdraw into the town for refresh- 
ment and rest. But neither rest nor motion was to be thought 
of till we had paid fitting honor to our dead. We laid them on 
the spot which they had won, on the sheltered edge of the crest, 
and committed their noble forms to the earth, and their story 
to their country's keeping. 

We buried them darkly, at dead of night, 
The sod with our bayonets turning. 

Splinters of boards torn by shot and shell from the fences we 
had crossed served as headstones, each name hurriedly carved 
under brief match lights, anxiously hidden from the foe. It 
was a strange scene around that silent and shadowy sepulture. 
" We will give them a starlight burial," it was said; but heaven 
ordained a more sublime illumination. As we bore them in 
dark and sad procession, their own loved North took up the 
escort, and lifting all her glorious lights led the triumphal 
march over the bridge that spans the worlds — an aurora 
borealis of marvelous majesty! fiery lances and banners of 
blood and flame, columns of pearly light, garlands and wreaths 
of gold, all pointing upward and beckoning on. Who would 
not pass on as they did, dead for their country's life, and lighted 
to burial by the meteor splendors of their native sky? 



The * Last * Night * Dt ^^ FrederiGbburg, 

GEN. J. L. CHAMBERLAIN, LL. D., EX.-PRES. BOWDOIN COLLEGE. 




•^5=3-x->$-^M(^^-* ^=^' 



'^'^p 




-T^viFTER a day of what was 
isv. called rest from the stress 
of battle, but really of 
confusion and solicitude, a 
broken bivouac on the pave- 
ment in the town, amidst the 
e n e m y's shells crashing 
through the roofs and walls, 
by turns dreaming or wakefully 
expecting that Lee would take 
advantage of our situation to 
strike our right flank and drive 
us into the river, we had man- 
aged at dark to sink into a 
dismal sort of sleep. 

But suddenly we were sum- 
moned — three regiments — to 
move forth to some unknown 
service. Picking our way 
amidst the terrible relics of the 
battle up to that fatal front 
again, we found here, mingled 
with the thick-strewn dead, 
and scarcely to be distin- 
guished from them, a thin line 
of our troops, lying flat on 
their faces and fairly shivering 
with apprehension. And with 
reason. For it was not sol- 
dierly qualities alone that were 




tested by that experience. So 
far out beyond support, with 
only the ghastly lines of the 
dead behind, and the half- 
disembodied horrors around, 
scarcely more than a hundred 
yards from the enemy's fortifi- 
cations, the rifle-pits of their 
picket - line close in front, 
strange, stealthy movements 
heard at intervals, then lost in 
dismal gusts of wind, and the 
murky darkness wrapping all 
as with a shroud, a sense of 
strange defenselessness might 
naturally seize the mind, a 
feeling of lurking evil against 



(131) 



132 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

which all mortal weapons are vain. To be creeping about amidst 
these emblems of the satanic power to hurt, sure only that 
every living human being before you and perhaps around you 
is an enemy whose one object it is to compass your destruction 
— this is a situation and a business wherein the man of stoutest 
physical courage and the soldier of highest discipline may find 
that he has something of himself yet to learn. 

We knew now that our business was to picket the front above 
the town. Of the rest we knew nothing. The troops whom 
we relieved informed us with the extreme of frankness that 
just after dusk a whole brigade of ours had been " rushed off " 
from that spot, and the enemy had planted a battery so as to 
enfilade the position and sweep away the whole line at the first 
dawn; and also had been pushing up their picket-line and rifle- 
pits all the night close upon our own. Our friends bade us a 
significant good-by — a curious mingling of emotion, half glad 
for themselves, half sad for us — and filed away silently down 
the slope. 

" Hold this ground at all hazards, and to the very last." This 
was the only order or instruction we received. It was a long 
stretch for us, and the men had to be stationed by the rule of 
few and far between. Groping cautiously about, we got hold 
of some picks and spades that were scattered around, and each 
man went to work with a will to settle himself into the ground; 
that seemed about the surest way to "hold it." Each few or 
each alone threw up a little earthwork covering their front and 
right, as a man would protect his head from a blow by raising 
his right elbow. It was the right especially that must be made 
strong, to guard against the expected shelling from that quar- 
ter, so that a shot striking in the line would not be likely to 
kill more than the men in any one pit. 

We worked in silence, speaking only in whisper, and with 
the least possible movement that might expose the person in 
relief against the sky, for, dark as it was, such a disclosure 
was sure to bring a shot. Often we were interrupted by vague 
alarms; the men would drop their spades, seize their muskets 
and sink on their knees, ready for the conjectured blow. 

We were anxious that the men should keep their true bear- 
ings, so as to throw the earth on the angle needing protection. 
My over-anxiety for this brought some sharp and unexpected 
warnings. Feeling along what I believed to be my line, I came 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 133 

upon a man settling himself into his pit with what seemed to 
me more diligence than judgment, " Throw to the other side, 
my man; that's where the trouble is," my undertone braced 
with the confidence of superior wisdom. " Don't ye s'pose I 
know where them Yanks be? They're right on to us now!" 
was the imperturbable answer of the man, who, I was thankful 
to find, was thinking more of his own business than of mine. 
" Dig away then, and keep a sharp lookout for 'em!" was the 
somewhat rapidly enunciated reply, which advice I proceeded 
to put into prompt execution myself, after a figurative inter- 
pretation. 

The men had now got themselves pretty well secured when a 
sudden clatter came up from the left, and a voice called out, 
" Where is the officer commanding this line?" He was excited 
and evidently not enjoying his mission. " The whole army is 
across the river. Get out of this as quick as God will let you! " 
was his highly condensed message. "Who are you, sir?" I 
asked with severity not wholly feigned. He gave his name 
and rank on the staff. "Report yourself to your general in 
arrest!" was my return to him for this intelligence. "You're 
crazy," he rejoins: " you've got all you can do not to be gobbled 
up as it is!" The men who heard this were scrambling out of 
their pits. " Steady as you are, my men, this is a stampeding 
coward." Some of the officers came running up. "Arrest this 
man for a spy, and hold fast your lines," was my word to them. 
Order being restored in the line, I took the staff-officer aside for 
mutual explanation. He was wrought up to a high pitch by 
the strain of the long effort to find us, along that dark and per- 
ilous front. Repeating that our army was already across the 
river, and that he had been sent to direct us to the remaining 
pontoon bridge, he apologized for his rashness in delivering his 
message, on the plea that he did not know the enemy's pickets 
were so near; and in turn I explained the necessity of my 
rough treatment of him, to seem to contradict and countermand 
him, that the men on both sides, who must have distinctly 
heard him, might be kept in their places; that ours especially, 
should not huddle in confusion out of the shelter of their pits, 
and draw the enemy's fire, and perhaps an overwhelming 
attack upon us. 

With a manner intended to reassure their justly troubled 
minds, the situation of things a'nd the plan of proper retiring 



134 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

were made known to the men. The movement was quickly or- 
ganized and executed. Each alternate man was to stay fast in 
his pit and dig more demonstratively than ever, while the 
others, each company in charge of its second officer, should 
noiselessly retire to the nearest advantageous ground and form 
in extended order faced to the front, and there stand until the 
remaining line should in like manner have taken position in 
their rear, when they in turn were to retire behind this second 
line. In that way we could at least prevent the enemy from 
following us up too recklessly and could come off the field in 
good order. 

Those who were the last to evacuate the rifle-pits had to use 
caution, trailing their pieces, and with anything but the sol- 
dier's erect bearing. We had fallen back but a few yards when 
the black flying clouds broke apart in rifts, and the moonlight 
struck us into full view and the gleam of the musket barrels 
made us for the moment a shining mark. "To the ground, 
every man of you," and they fell flat and motionless at the 
word. From that time we had to watch the favoring obscurity 
of the flying clouds. We, too, had caught a glimpse of the 
enemy creeping forward from their rifle-pits and were aware 
tliat they were following us, though perhaps in their ignorance 
of the field and of the meaning of our movements, quite as 
scared as we were; and possibly not wholly callous to the 
appalling images of havoc through which we had to pass. 
Mangled forms, rent and tossed as if the maddened beasts of 
the arena had run riot among them; limbs flung from their 
bodies and half trampled into the bloody mire; grim faces, 
stark and stiff, into which the light of the waning moon struck 
a more than deadly pallor — a phantom light as of something 
neither dead nor living, with a fixedness that was more than 
stillness: open eyes that saw not, but seemed to see more than 
human; hands that still grasped their muskets with a clutch no 
living strength could loosen; the ghostly gleam of the scattered 
musket barrels weaving an unearthly web, or a bright sword- 
blade flashing back as if still swung by the valorous arm that 
had given it life for its deadly stroke. Phantasmal martyr- 
pyres, the heaped, incongruous ruins of a lost battery— horses, 
cannoneers, dismounted guns, splintered ammunition chests, 
crushed wheels, overturned carriages, the tongue erect in air, 
the pole-yokes swinging gibbet-like on high, looming suddenly 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 135 

on you with a shuddering light, then vanishing as from the 
earth, when the swift dragon-cloud smites the face of the moon, 
and blackened night swallows up the hideous scene. All save 
where on the far edge of the field some solitary lantern sways 
and sails, like the weird, hovering will-o'-the-wisp, while un- 
wearying love seeks still the living lost among the dead. 

Midway in our course we passed a house around which terri- 
ble slaughter had raged, the wrecks still lying where they fell. 
I remember but too well how the night wind shrieked and 
howled about the desolate walls and rooms, — a voice as of in- 
numerable spirits that could not rise, — while some swinging 
door or blind sounded like the flapping wings of the demon of 
doom. I do not think there has^ever been a moment in my life 
since when the sound of that wind has been out of my ears. 

We were able by our orderly movement, however hurried, to 
bring off such of the wounded as we encountered on the aban- 
doned field. At the bridge-head we gathered and waited a 
little for all that should pass over before us; and lingered still, 
as if loath to turn away, held back by a sigh of the night wind, 
like the last wail of the stricken field, that took the breath from 
our bosoms and the strength from our limbs. 

But the rain fell now in torrents; the bridge-boats creaked as 
the swelling current rushed by; the narrow plank way, bedded 
with earth to deaden sound, stretched out into the darkness, 
beckoning us to noiseless passage, as from world to world. 
For a little while it swayed beneath our tread; men stood by 
the anchor lines, a few lingered at the further fastenings. ' ' Cut 
the guys! " the last order fell; the great pontoons swung to the 
hither shore, and the river ran, cold and dark, between us and 
our dead that had died in vain. 



GREATEST LOSS. PLUCK AT STONE RIVER. 




H*/ The 1st Maine Heavy Artillery It was Gen. Wm. B. Hazen's 

g Regiment lost more men in killed command that saved the army 

and died of wounds than any and the day at the battle of 

other regiment, 18.8 per cent., the 2d Stone River or Murfreesboro', Dec. 31, 

Wisconsin comes next with 17.5 per 1862. His brigade was the only one 

cent., and the 140th Pennsylvania next that held its position unchanged dur- 

with 16.1 per cent. ing the fight. 



Life at Chattanooga During the Siege. 



KUN IN CAMP. 



B. S. BATCHELOR, Company I, 2d Minnesota. 




W^V^WXV.Vv^^^fC^V^'V.'^E i i 



J VWVW-VvXXWXWVWXSWvWt 





N the fall of 1864, not 

long after the battle 

of Chickamauga, the 

2d Minn, was camped 
on a small rise of ground near 
the four large hospitals that 
were built by the Confederacy 
and afterward occupied by our 
army. The rebels had a piece 
of artillery planted on Look- 
out Mountain, which they had 
named the Lady Davis, and it 
made it lively for us a good 
many times. If there were a 
group of men collected, the Lady Davis would be pretty sure to 
pay her compliments by way of a shot or a shell. As a number 
of the comrades of my company were playing marbles, quite a 
number of the boys gathered around and became interested in 
the game, when a souvenir in the shape of a solid shot came 
from the mountain without any warning. It passed just above 
our heads, and made a flying visit to a small camp-fire just back 
of us, where a German of our company was making a cup of 
coffee of two days' rations, which consisted of about two table- 
spoonfuls, and all he would get until the next issue. The ball 
struck in the fire under the coffee-kettle. That coffee-kettle 
shot up in the air like a sky-rocket, and the little camp-fire was 
no more. But there stood the German covered with dirt and 
ashes, and so mad that he did not know what his name was. 
He soon recovered and swore in three different languages at 
the same time. He was angry enough to go up on old Lookout 

(136) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 137 

Mountain and throw that gun into the Tennessee river. But, 
as time is a great soother, he got over his passion and laughed 
with the rest of us, and was thankful that no greater damage 
was done. The kettle came down with the smell of coffee yet 
lingering about its precious sides. 

As our communications between Nashville and Chattanooga 
at that time were often interrupted, our rations were very 
small, and soap was a luxury almost unknown. When general 
inspection was ordered, how to present clean faces and hands 
without soap was a problem hard to solve. At ten o'clock on one 
morning of inspection the boys fell into line with guns and 
equipments in splendid condition, but I cannot say as much of 
our clothes and faces. Comrade Claude Pritchard must have 
lovingly caressed the camp-kettle before falling in; for one 
side of his face was as black as possible, while the other side 
was comparatively clean. As the order was given, "Right 
dress!" Sergeant Bending said, "What nigger is that in our 
company?" And as he presented the black side of his face to 
the front, the captain said, "Pritchard, go and wash your 
face." Pritchard disappears with alacrity into his tent. In a 
very short space of time his head reappears from his tent with 
his face as black as ever, and very distinctly says, "Captain, 
have you got any soap?" The inspecting officer took one look 
and laughed aloud. The laugh was contagious, and we were 
soon all in a roar. The captain said, " Sergeant Bending, take 
that man to the guard-house!" and this ended the fun for that 
day. Pritchard was a faithful soldier, and I hope he fares now 
better than he did then. 



GREAT TURNING POINT. GLOOMY DAYS. 

John E. Cooke (Confederate). 

1^111 E long struggle culminating at O^ RAMP— Are you a Grand Army 
|M| Gettysburg ended as completely . V^, man? 
'^^ as if Lee had laid down his arms S^ Gentleman — Yes. 
there. After the repulse at Cemetery Ti-amp — Could you help a poor fellow 

Ilill the event of the war was decided, who lost his leg during the war ? 
and any commander of respectable Gentleman (giving him ten cents) — 

ability might have achieved the results What regiment did you belong to ? 
of 1864 and 1865. Gettysburg was the Tra^np— Not any, sir. I was run 

great turning point of the war, and the down by a beer wagon a day or two 

commander of the Federal forces there, after the battle of Fair Oaks. Those 

General Meade, was a soldier indeed. were gloomy days, sir. 



FISRING aP TORPEDOES 

PLANTED BY THE REBELS IN RED RIVER. 



Fearful Explosion isliicli Hurled the Plcker-Up Two Hundred Feet. 

— J By S. E. R, S — 



-H-^ 



.^=.1 



|-E^»-o #■— 5<" 



WAS among others detailed from 
the Federal steamer " Monoiiga- 
3[^[ hela," to search the Red river be- 
tween the Tensar and the Missis- 
sippi, for the torpedoes which had been 
planted by the Confederates. These 
torpedoes wei"e of all makes, shapes, and 
sizes, from a pork barrel half-full of 
powder, to be fired by electricity from 
the shore, to a glass demijohn holding 
ten pounds, to be exploded by contact. 
Some were on the surface, some just 
under it, and some on the bottom. We 
went out in fours to hunt for these 
terrifiers, each boat being provided 
with grapnels, nets, boat-hooks, and 
whatever else was needed for fishing up 
the monsters. We had to exercise 
great caution, for the channel was 
tortuous and no one could guess at 
what point we would come across a tor- 
pedo. The woods were shelled two or 
three times a day by our gunboats, but 
the Confederate swamp-cats were by no 
means driven out. They had every 
chance to secrete themselves, and we 
realized that if we came upon an elec- 
tric torpedo we ran every risk of being 
blown sky-high. 



We had been at work three or four 
days and had fished up seven or eight 
ugly-looking fellows, when we got into 
a part of the channel which ran within 
fifty feet of the right bank. A colored 
man who had been lying in the swamps 
for several weeks waiting for deliver- 
ance, informed us that he had observed 
men planting something in this bend 
two weeks before. He thought there 
were wires leading to the swamp, but 
we scouted about for a couple of hours 
without being able to find that such 
was the case. The bank was a dense 
jungle in which one thousand men 
could have concealed themselves. 

About an hour after dinner we moved 
uj) and began grappling in the bend. 
The boat turned her bow down stream, 
threw over her grapnels, and two men 
used the oars to give her headway. We 
had not pulled fifty feet when the irons 
took hold, and I drew the boat back to 
the spot by means of the rope. Then, 
standing on the seat in the stern, I 
lifted at the obstruction, and it came 
slowly up. It had just appeared suffi- 
cient for me to make out that it was a 
boiler-iron torpedo, when there came an 



(138) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



139 



awful explosion. The same instant 
our boat was lifted high in air and 
bi'oken to pieces, and I scarcely com- 
prehended what had occurred until I 
found myself in the water two hundred 
feet below the point of explosion. My 
hair, whiskers, and eyebrows were badly 
singed, and my clothing on fire, as I 
came down after the flight. While I 
had escaped, the other three were killed 
outright, and the wave created swamped 
a boat working a few hundred feet below 
us and drowned one of her crew. 



While swimming for this capsized 
boat, a man stood on the bank of the 
river and fired four shots at me from a 
revolver, and with the fifth he killed 
the colored man who had given the in- 
formation. The victim stood upon 
the bank, about midway between the 
two boats, and was shot through the 
head. 

The torpedo was no doubt exploded 
by electricity, and the man who fired 
the shots was the operator who ex- 
ploded it. 



A PRKMONITION 

KILLED AT SAVAGE'S STATION. 

S. C. Gallup, 3d Vt. 



^ NE day, while encamped near the 
Chickahominy river, a member 
of our company earnestly de- 
clared in the presence of sev- 
eral comrades that he would be killed in 
the next battle. I cannot recall his 
name, though I remember distinctly 
his countenance and general appear- 
ance. On this day, the 29th, we rested 
near Savage's Station, on the railroad 
by which we had received our army 
supplies. The day was clear and hot. 
Exposed to a scorching sun, we waited, 
ready to fall in at a moment's notice. 
Within a few feet of our company was 
a large pile of ammunition, burning 
and exploding. Some of the bullets 
and grape-shot were hurled within dan- 
gerous proximity to our regiment. As 
this pile was the property of our gov- 
ernment, it was an unpleasant reminder 
of the fact that our army was retreat- 
ing before an enemy eager to destroy us. 
On the other side of a cleared field in 
which we were resting were the tents of 
the general hospital, which were filled 



with our sick and wounded. Through 
a painful necessity, such of these as 
could not march would, in a few 
hours, fall into the hands of the enemy. 
Our division was left at Savage's Sta- 
tion to check the enemy. It was begin- 
ning to grow dark, when, according to 
orders, we fell in, faced to the rear, and 
advanced rapidly into a pine foi-est, 
and there formed line of battle. It 
was so dark that we could not see the 
rebel force which was approaching 
through the thick timber within mus- 
ket range. Suddenly there burst upon 
our view a long line of bright flashes, 
followed by a ter]-ible roar of musketry 
and a shower of bullets, which came 
pouring into our lines. Our brigade 
held its position firmly, and gave the 
rebels such a warm reception that they 
soon ceased firing, and fell back. Thus 
ended the battle of Savage's Station. 
In this battle a member of our company 
was killed, and he was the soldier who 
had said that he would be killed in the 
next battle. 



BATTLE OF lUKA AID GORIITH. 



Sept. 21, 1862. 



How Rosecrans met the Confederates.— A Storm of Cannon Balls and Bullets. 



By p. C. FERGUSON, Lieut. Co. I, 43d Ohio. 





HE 21st of September, 1862, found Rosecrans in 
camp at Clear Creek, near Corinth, Mississippi. 
We had been there some time, battling with 
yellow jamidice and typhoid fever, when the Con- 
federate army, under Price, Van Dorn, and Lovell, 
made their appearance near Bear Creek. One 
bright Sabbath morning we struck tents, and 
started out on the Jacinto road, seven miles dis- 
tant from Corinth and about the same distance 
from luka Springs. 

General Grant was in command on the Bern- 
ville road, about the saine distance from luka. 
The order from General Grant was to move up to within three 
miles of luka and bivouac for the night, but the enemy would 
not allow us in such close proximity. We were not far out of 
Jacinto when we encountered the enemy's pickets, and where we 
thought to camp for the night, we found the ground bitterly 
disputed. Van Dorn threw his division against us with so 
much fury that we wavered and fell back for a short distance. 
We rallied, and the ball opened in good earnest, the enemy 
being in turn driven back. The battle became fierce. A brass 
battery of the 1st Ohio had hardly gotten into position before 
the Confederates charged it. The men stood by their guns 
until they had not a horse and but few men left. At this in- 
stant the 11th Mo. Infantry came to their rescue and saved 
the battery. The possession of this battery seemed to be what 

(140) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 141 

both sides were fighting for, as it was taken and retaken 
several times. For unknown reasons Grant did not move up 
on the right and we stood our ground about three hours before 
night stopped the carnage. The loss was about equal on each 
side. 

The following morning the brigade moved in line of battle, 
momentarily expecting to be engaged, but the enemy had fled 
leaving tents, camp equipage, and all. The following Friday, 
they began to drive the Union forces in on Corinth. The latter 
now consisted of the 16th Army Corps, under Gen. W. S. 
Rosecrans. The enemy drove General Palmer's division all 
day Friday and Saturday, and gradually pushed us back to- 
wards our forts. Saturday, October 1, found the Union army 
disposed as follows: Palmer's division on the right, Stone's 
division on the left, with Davis in reserve, the Ohio brigade in 
support of Battery Robinet, a line of field guns, reaching 
almost from Battery Robinet to Fort Williams on the right, 
and still another small fort on the right of the railroad. 

Early on Sunday morning, before it was light, the enemy ran 
a battery up the road to within a short distance of Fort Robinet 
and began firing, I was on the picket line, a few rods in front 
of the fort. They made it warm for a short time, but when the 
sun came up clear and bright, the heavy artillery in the fort 
opened on the battery and disabled it in a twinkling. We 
went forward and pulled it in. All this time the enemy were 
evidently preparing for some bold move. About nine o'clock 
they emerged from the woods in solid column, and led by 
Colonel Rogers, of the 3d Texas Rangers, made a desperate 
charge on Fort Robinet. The artillery played havoc in their 
ranks, but on they came. By some mistake they were taken 
for our own men, and our brigade lay flat upon the ground 
until the enemy were actually within the fort, when the word 
was: "Fix bayonets, double quick, charge!" The Ohio brigade 
sprang to their feet and in a minute the fort was cleared and 
the enemy sent flying in all directions. Some few prisoners 
were taken and a great many more of the Confederates never 
returned to their comrades. 

The enemy next moved on our right and attacked Fort 
Williams. They made the grandest charge at that point that I 
ever witnessed, the charging column consisting of a brigade 
of Mississippi troops. They emerged from the roads in solid 



142 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



column, but our forts had a cross fire on them and mowed 
them down like grain before the sickle. Nevertheless, they 
closed up and moved on until they reached the fort. The fort 
was supported by Palmer's men, who failed to check them in the 
least. On they went right through the line of our artillery and 
men, right up to the town. Just when the day looked th© 
brightest for the enemy, Davis's division, thus far held in re- 
serve, came down on them like an avalanche, and swept every- 
thing back. None escaped the steel of Davis's gallant men, who 
drove them right past the fort they had captured but a few 
moments before. On they went until they reached the wood, 
when they came to a halt and gradually fell back to our line. 
All this time General Rosecrans was watching the proceedings 
with intense interest and giving orders as circumstances re- 
quired. About four of that memorable day he came along the 
lines with his staff. Cheer after '^heer went up from the men 
as General Rosecrans said, "Boys, the day is ours and the 
enemy is flying." 



IvOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 



B. F. TAYLOR. 



|G-^ESPASTAN'S royal edifice 
•" ^^%/o Whose world of ruin nursed 
^*^ his name, 

Would be a vestibule to this 

Great amphitheater of fame. 
Upon its parquet's rugged floors 
Lie cities of the noiseless doors. 
White drifts of camps like flocks of sheep 
I see artillery asleep ; 



The six in hands of muleteers 
Behind a picket fence of ears ; 
I see gray swarms along the hills ; 
I hear the bayonet coffee mills, 
A snare drum snarling to itself, 
A catch of song, a blue coat joke, 
I smell the sweet red cedar smoke. 
No sign of storm or anything. 
The very standards droop and cling. 



QENERAIv HANCOCK'S HUNIOR. 



fENERAL HANCOCK was not 
much given to humorous declara- 
tions, but he said one exceedingly 
good thing in that line at Gettysburg. 
At a certain stage of that great battle it 
happened that some subordinate officer, 
acting upon his own responsibility, dis- 
regarded ordinary military rules and 



caused a decided advantage to be gained 
where, according to West Point philoso- 
phy, a disaster should have ensued. 
Hancock was both provoked and de- 
lighted. 

" If I knew the fool who ordered 
that movement," he exclaimed, "I 
would have him brevetted ! " 



Thk Assault on Kort Robinet. 

OCTOBER 3, 4, 1862. 
A 63d OHIO MAN'S RECOLLECTIONS. 




[URING the early part of 
September, 18G2, a part of 
Stanley's division, to which 
Fuller's Ohio brigade was 
attached, occupied luka, Miss. We received orders to evac- 
uate the place on the night of the 13th, leaving the 8th Wis., un- 
der Colonel Murphy, behind, with orders to destroy the govern- 
ment property, of which there was an immense amount; but 
that order Colonel Murphy failed to obey for reasons known 
only to himself, and the property fell into the hands of Generals 
Price and Van Dorn, 

We encamped near Cedar Creek, a few miles from Corinth, 
on the 14th, and unceremoniously received orders on the night of 
the 17th to fall in, taking the back track for luka. The ad- 
vance of Gen. W. S. Rosecrans's army drove in the outpost of 
the enemy about noon, September 19, at a farm house called 
Barnett's Cross-roads, from which point General Rosecrans 
sent a courier to General Grant, at Burnsville, eight miles from 
luka, informing him of the fact, and that he expected to meet 
the rebels in force that afternoon. 

The messenger failed to reach General Grant, having lost 
the road before the real battle of luka commenced; conse- 
quently General Rosecrans had to fight alone against immense 
odds, and he won the field, after a desperate engagement. I 
picked up General Lytle's sword after the battle. I had charge 
of a detail burying the dead the next day, and examining our 

(143) 



144 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

own men I came across a soldier of the 48th Ind., who had 
been hit in three places, one ball going clear through his body 
and lodging in a small Bible in his knapsack. He was about 
twenty years old, with red hair, and I think his name was 
Williams. After luka we went back near to Corinth, and while 
on this march an incident happened not very pleasing to our 
division commander, General Stanley. My regiment had its 
proportion of stragglers, and among them was one noted for 
his foraging propensities. At a farm house near which we 
halted was a lot of bee-hives, and this fellow wanted some honey. 
While getting it General Stanley came out of the house, which 
scared the fellow so that he dropped the hive and ran, and the 
bees went for the general. I presume the general has not for- 
gotten the fact, or the licking he gave the fellow with one of 
the teamster's whips. 

After lying a few days near the Tuscumbia river we got 
orders again on the night of October 2d, and crossing the 
Tuscumbia at sunrise the 3d, Colonel Sprague told us to fill all 
our canteens and take a big drink, as we would be likely to 
have a fight before we saw any more water, which was a fact, 
although we did not get into an engagement that day. In the 
afternoon of that day, the canteens being nearly empty, a call 
was made by company commanders for two volunteers to take 
the canteens and look for water, but I had been saving with 
mine and it was half full. That evening we took position near 
Fort Robinet, and Co. B of our regiment did picket duty on 
the Chewalla road, to the left of Robinet. It was just before 
daylight on the 4th of October, that we captured the rebel 
Captain Tobin and his bugler. 

We were lying on each side of the road, a few rods from 
Robinet, when the rebel captain and the bugler came along 
in advance of his battery, and with perfect assurance, as they 
thought our army had evacuated the place, everything was 
so still. The r§bel batteries opened before daylight, but our 
artillery did not take any notice of them until broad day, which 
accounted for Captain Tobin's thinking we had evacuated. 
Shortly after sunrise we received the first rebel assault, and it 
was in their second assault, but a short time after, that Colonel 
Rogers, of the Texas Legion, was killed. 

We captured a handsome brass James rifle, made in En- 
gland. It was taken before either rebel assaults, and the 1st 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



145 



U. S. Inf. had the cheek to lay claim to the prize. A year 
after, while I was an ordnance officer, I recognized the same 
gun, with this inscription: " Captured at Corinth, Miss., October 
4, 1863, by 1st U. S. Inf." Immediately in the rear of Robinet 
was Fort Williams, and to their guns, as much as any, were 
the rebels indebted for their defeat, as a perfect storm of shot 
and shell fell upon them. Fort Madison, an inside earthwork 
mounting heavy guns, was manned by part of Co. D, 63d 
Ohio, and did good execution. 





SOLDIER'S DEATH-BED HYMN, 



Mrs NANNIE I. MILLER. 



fET me go where saints are going, 
To the mansions of the blest ; 
' ^ Let me go where my Redeemer 

Has prepared his people's rest. 
I would gain the realms of brightness. 

Where they dwell forevermore ; 
I would join the friends that wait nie 
Over on the other shore. 



Let me go ; why should I tarry, 

What has earth to bind me here ? 
What but cares, and toils, and sorrow, 

What but pain, and death, and fear ' 
Let me go, for hopes most cherished 

Blasted 'round me often lie ; 
Oh ! I've gathered brightest flowers 

But to see them fade and die. 



Let me go where none are weary, 

Where is raised no wail of woe ; 
Let me go and bathe my spirit 

In the raptures angels know. 
Let me go, for bliss eternal 

Lures my soul away, away. 
And the victors' song triumphant 

Thrills my heart ; I cannot stay. 



Let me go where tears and sighing 

Are forevermore unknown ; 
Where the joyous song of glory 

Calls me to a happier home. 
Let me go, I fear not dying, 

I would gain life's fairer plains, 
I would join the myriad harpers, 

I would chant the rapturous strains. 



Let me go, there is a glory 

That my soul has longed to know ; 
I am thirsting for the waters 

That from ci-ystal fountains flow ! 
There is where the angels tarry, 

There the blest forever throng, 
There the brightness wearies never. 

There we'll sing Redemption's song. 



10 



leSmamGs of IDdr ^e^rders. 



OEO. K. \7VILLIAIVlS. 



M|T VERY general of prominence had beginning of his military career. Logan, 
A'^ a nickname bestowed upon him with his long black hair and dark com- 



^K by his troops. Some of these 
e^^ names were sarcastic, but usually 
they indicated the confidence of the 
men in their leaders. General Grant 
was commonly known in the Army of 
the Potomac as "Old United States," 
from the initials of his name, but some- 
times he was called " Old Three Stars," 
that number indicating his rank as 
lieutenant-general, McClellan was en- 
deared to liis army as " Little Mac." 
INIeade, who wore spectacles, was de- 
lighted to hear that the soldiers had 
named him " Four-eyed George," for he 
knew it was not intended as a reproach. 
Burnside, the colonel of the 1st R. I. 
Regt., rose to the dignity of " Rhody " 
when he became a general. Hooker 
never liked the sobriquet of " Fighting 
Joe," though he always lived up to it 
on the field. Pope was saddled with 
the title of " Saddle-bag John," in 
memory of his famous order about 
headquarters being on horseback. His 
men used to say that their headquarters 
moved pretty rapidly at times. Sigel, 
the German general, was known in the 
corps as " Uutchy." Hancock won the 
brevet of " Superb," from a remark 
made by General Meade at Gettysburg 
tvhen th€ Second Corps repulsed Long- 
Street's men. Humphrey, being a dis- 
tinguished engineer, was invariably 
ttyled " Old INIathematics." The Penn- 
sylvania Reserves used to call Crawford 
"Physics," he being a surgeon at the 



plexion, was " Black Jack." Sheridan, 
the cavalry leader, was " Little Phil," 
and Sherman's troops spoke of him as 
" Old Tecumseh." The sterling nature 
and steadfast purpose of Thomas earned 
for him the significant name of " Old 
Reliable." Alexander McDowell Mc- 
Cook, like Hooker, was called " Fight- 
ing McCook." The New York City 
regiments in the 5th Corps changed 
Sykes to " Syksey." Halleck was de- 
risively named " Old Brains," and Rose- 
crans had his name shortened to 
" Rosy." Lew Wallace was " Louisa " 
to the soldiers under his command ; he 
was a great favorite for his fighting 
qualities, and the soldiers adopted that 
inappropriate name for want of a better. 
Kearney, who had left an arm in Mex- 
ico, was invariably known in the ranks 
as " One-armed Phil." Butler was 
styled " Cock-eye " for obvious reasons. 
Kilpatrick was nicknamed " Kill," while 
Custer was called " Ringlets " on ac- 
count of his long, flowing curls ; and so 
the catalogue might be prolonged in- 
definitely. 

Among the Confederates, familiar 
nicknames were not as common as with 
the Federals. The soldiers of the Army 
of Northern Virginia usually spoke of 
General Lee as "Bob Lee." Little 
INIahone was best known as " Skin and 
Bones." Early was called " Bad Old 
Man," and Jackson will live in history 
as "Stonewall." 



(U6) 



A FIGHTING CHAPLAIN. 

EXPERIENCE AT THE BATTLE OF SOUTH MOUNTAIN.-FIERCE MORTAR DUELS. 

By REV. GEORGE G. SMITH, Chaplain in the Phillips Georgia Legion. 



N^NWNNV, » -w 





F you will permit, I will tell you about the afternoon at 
South Mountain, in 1862, when I received a bullet 
through my neck, and when night alone saved General 
Lee's army from capture. A year before I had been 
the pastor of a charming little church in a beautiful 
valley in upper Georgia, I was just married, and ought to 
have been content to have staid at home, but in my veins 
was the blood of those who had fought in the Revolution, and 
when I saw my parishioners going to the front I went too, as 
the chaplain of the Phillips Legion. We had fifteen com- 
panies — nine of infantry, five of cavalry, and one of artil- 
lery — commanded by Col. William Phillips. We had had our 
share of hard work, but until the summer of 1862, we had no 
serious fighting. On the Sunday morning (September 14) on 
which the battle of South Mountain began, we were in camp at 
Hagerstown. We were expecting quite a time of repose when 
the order came to return towards Boonsboro'. I had not the 
remotest dream of any hot work, nor do I think any of us had, 
for we had no idea that the army of the Potomac could be re- 
organized and mobilized so soon. We thought the assault upon 
our lines was merely a feint of cavalry. This was evidently 
General Lee's opinion, or else he would not have allowed Jack- 
son to have crossed the Potomac; but it was soon evident from 
the rapid motion of the artillery and infantry that hot work 

(117) 



148 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

was before us. My regiment had gone and I ambled off as 
rapidly as I could toward the front. 

Somehow I got the name of the ''fighting chaplain," and 
candidly I did not like it, for it was neither just nor compli- 
mentary. I did not go to the army to fight; I did not fight 
after I got there. I had as little stomach for fighting as 
Falstaff had. I went to the army as a chaplain, and as a chap- 
lain I did my work, and yet that day I got a bullet through my 
neck. I ought not to have gone where the bullets were flying, 
but I did go and I got hit, and this is how it came about. I 
found Generals Lee, Longstreet, and Jones, standing at the 
base of the pass, and with them was one of the staff officers of 
our brigade. Captain Young. Inquiring of him for my regi- 
ment, he told me that it was behind a stone fence on the right 
of the Boonsboro' and Frederick pike, and I immediately re- 
paired to that place. A battery of light artillery was firing 
overhead and "we lay quietly looking toward the south. Sud- 
denly the order came to change front. We were now to face 
towards the west. The turnpike was narrow, and the enemy 
were upon us. The change of position called for a change 
from line of battle to column, and then from column into line. 
My own regiment did beautifully and for a moment we looked 
to the woods expecting the Federals to charge upon us, but in- 
stead we were ordered to leave the protection of the stone wall 
and to charge into the woods. As we entered the woods I saw 
a poor fellow fall and heard him say, "Lord Jesus, receive my 
spirit." I went to him and said, "My friend, that's a good 
prayer, I hope you feel it." He answered, " Stranger, I am not 
afraid to die; I made my peace with God over thirty years 
ago." Just at that moment I heard Cook, our commander, say 
in a loud voice, " For God's sake don't fire; we are friends!" I 
turned and saw a body of our troops about ready to fire. I said, 
" I will go back, colonel, and stop them," As I ran back to the 
fence, I looked down the very road we had left, and saw a 
body of Federals moving on us. Something must be done, and 
I ran to General Drayton, our commander, and told him the 
position. A feint certainly must be made; if the Federals 
should know that the stone fence was abandoned, they would 
sweep upon the fence and thus capture the last man. Major 
Gest, when he saw how matters were, placed the few men he 
had in position; and I started for my regiment. As I came to 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 149 

the pike, I saw a soldier shooting towards the east. It took but 
a moment for me to see that the Federals were east, south, and 
west of us. 

The firing was now fierce, but I felt that my regiment must 
be brought out of that pocket at all hazards, and I started to 
warn it, when I found it retreating. Poor Ellis, a Welchman, 
had run the gantlet and given them warning, and the regi- 
ment was now retreating in a broken and confused manner. 
One of the boys, Gus Tomlinson, in tears, said: " Parson, we've 
been whipped; the regiment is retreating." "And none too 
soon either," said I, "for we are surrounded on all sides but 
one." Just then I felt a strange dizziness and fell, my arm 
dropping lifeless by my side. I knew that I was hit, and I 
thought mortally wounded. But where was I hit? Was my 
arm torn off by a shell? No, here that is. Was I shot through 
the breast? or — yes, here it was — blood was gurgling from my 
throat. The dear boys rushed to me, laid me on a blanket and 
bore me off the field. I thought I was mortally wounded; so 
did they. " Yes, parson," said they, "it's all up with you." The 
ball had entered my neck, and ranging downward, came out 
near my spine, paralyzing my arin. How does a man feel under 
such circumstances? Well, one thing I felt, and that was, 
that it's a good thing in such an hour to have faith in Christ 
and love toward all men. I had been in battle but there was 
not one of the soldiers in the Federal ranks for whom I had 
any feeling other than love. As we came out Hood's division 
went in, but it was the caution of the Federals and the cover 
of the night that saved our army that day from a worse defeat 
and from capture. 




THE ANGLE. A WORD FROM GEN. PORTER. 

•0 '--'a g r— • c» . «■ — ^ a ' o» 

At the battle of Spottsylvania Court Colonel James McQuade, of the 

House, called " The Angle," it is claimed 14th New York Volunteers, was the 

that there were more dead men found only regimental commander of Grif- 

on the ground than in any other battle fin's brigade who escaped death during 

of modern times to the same number the Seven Days' Battles on the Penin- 

of acres. sula. 



IP BLiCpATER NilYJlL GOpEST. 

SEPTEMBER 27, 1862. 

A Brave and Daring Act of the Gallant Commodore, C. W. Flusser. 

W. F*. DERBY, srth JMass. 



•^»^NV^xc^^\x\\v^.x\w\\■v\w^ 




m 



ENERAL DIX desired the naval forces in the North 
Carolina waters to co-operate with him in an attack 
upon the enemy at the Blackwater river, and six 
o'clock, Sept. 27, 1862, was the hour fixed for the 
attack. The Commodore Perry, under the gallant com- 
mander, C. W. Flusser, and the Hunchback, under the " old 
reliable " Captain Calhoun, were ordered to this duty. General 
Dix sent to have a later date fixed for the attack, but before his 
messenger arrived our vessels were far on their way up the 
Chowan. At six o'clock, our vessels were at the assigned point 
and fired the signal gun. They cautiously ascended the Black- 
water until the stream was so narrow that a desperate foe 
might board them from either bank. Suddenly a musketry 
fire raked the Perry and cut down her flag. Everything 
was ready for close action, and for four hours these vessels 
kept up the unequal contest with grape shrapnel and half-sec- 
ond shells, hoping each moment to hear the sound of friendly 
arms to their relief. Twice Commodore Flusser sent forward a 
man to raise his flag, each of whom fell lifeless at the foot of 
the flag-staff. He then went and raised it himself amidst a 
storm of bullets, and returned, his clothes riddled by shot but 
himself unharmed. He then went to a gunner, saying, "I'll 
show you how to cut a fuse," and suiting action to his word 
stooped and cut the fuse close to the shell. As he did so a ball 
passed over him and pierced his gunner's heart. 

Their ammunition was running low, and failing to hear from 
General Dix, they reversed their engines to drop down the 

(150) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



151 



river. Fortunately the two vessels were armed ferry boats and 
could move with equal facility in either direction, as they could 
not turn if they would. But a new difficulty now beset them. 
During the engagement the enemy had felled trees from both 
banks in the river below, completely obstructing the channel. 
These men were not the men to be caught in such a trap. 
Chaining the two steamers stern to stern the engine of the fore- 
most was stopped, and with a full head of steam at the rear 
they ploughed their way through the obstruction. Huge guns 
meantime thundered forth storms of iron in answer to the in- 
cessant musketry from the shore. These two vessels had been 
the terror of the North Carolina waters, and now that they were 
seemingly within their grasp the enemy were determined to 
make sure of them. The shock of heavy guns answered to 
shock and the roll of small arms told of the desperate determi- 
nation of the contestants. At length the vessels reached clear 
sailing and the sullen enemy quickly retreated from the reach 
of their guns. It was well done. Just like Flusser! and when 
any one challenged Captain Calhoun he was sure to get a 
" Hunchback." 



e^&^-^l 




^^^^ 



A SOLDIKR'S ORAVK. 



lONE L. JONES. 



U 



RUDE wooden cross 'mid a 
tangle of grasses — 
cJ Poverty's tribute of love ; 

I would that I knew who lies 'neath the 
wild masses, 
Swaying in silence above." 
Then she dropped a white rose 'mid the 
shadows and masses, 
And passed with her burden of flowers. 



Alas ! 'neath the weeds that the fra- 
grant breeze tosses 
Sleepeth, thro' sunshine and showers, 
The form of a soldier, beloved and be- 
lieving, 
Borne from the battle field dead ; 
And the hands ql a maiden whose heart 
broke with grieving 
Placed the rude cross at his head. 




MY ESCAPE FROM THE REBELS. 



Tale t of ^ Prison-Pen ^ and i Stockade. 



HOW COLUMBIA, S. C, CAME TO BE BURNED.— TWENTY 
DAYS WITH SHERMAN'S "BUMMERS." 

CAPT. IRA B. SAMPSON, 2d Mass. Heavy Artillery. 




FTER a few weeks' stay at Savannah, the move- 
ments of General Sherman necessitated the removal 
of prisoners to a place of greater safety. We were 
therefore taken to Charleston, S. C, and quarters 
assigned us at the jail and contiguous yard. We 



were here within range 
of the Union guns of 
Morris Island, and such 
exposure was a specimen 
of rebel barbarity seldom 
paralleled. Toppled 
steeples and chimneys, 
yawning house walls and 




grass-grown streets were 
graphic witnesses of the 
effective work of "Gill- 
more's swamp angels " — 
or as they were more 
familiarly called by the 
prisoners, ''Gillmore's 
morning reports." For 



weeks I slept beneath the old gallows within the jail-yard, and 
though it was grimly suggestive it furnished me protection and 
comfort others would have been glad to secure. The waning 
heat of summer brought with it the dreaded scourge, yellow 
fever. 

Reaching Columbia at night we lay upon the ground in a 
soaking rain,— a bath we much enjoyed. The next morning 
we were removed to " Camp Sorghum," an old cotton field near 
the Congaree river, a short distance above the city. Having 
no stockade, it was surrounded with a cordon of guards and 
equipped with the usual number of blood-hounds, the former 
with instructions to shoot any one approaching the dead line. 

(152) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 153 

At first our supply of wood was obtained by a loop guard 
thrown out in the timber, but later a daily parole was substi- 
tuted. Some broke their parole and endeavored to escape, but 
most of us were too reduced in strength to make such an at- 
tempt. There were some 1500 officers confined in the field, liv- 
ing in holes in the ground and in booths made of sticks and 
leaves until quite late in the fall, when with the aid of a few 
axes some rude huts were constructed. 

Late in December the weather and insufficiency of clothing 
forced the removal of the camp to a stockade near the city. 
This inclosed two acres of the state insane asylum grounds and 
was therefore styled "Asylum camp." Within the inclosure 
were two buildings used as hospitals. These hospitals were 
provided with nurses from our numbers while occasional visits 
of a Confederate surgeon supplied us with a scanty amount 
of medicines. Our rations were inadequate in quantity and 
quality. We slept during the day in the sun and walked the 
camp at night to keep warm. 

Believing our forces were surely pressing toward us, we ex- 
pected the enemy would attempt a removal of the prisoners, 
and hence our leisure moments had been spent in devising 
" retreats" in which to seclude ourselves when marching orders 
were received. Lieut. R. B. Sinclair, Co. G, 2d Regt. Mass. heavy 
artillery, had been acting as nurse in the larger hospital and 
had his bunk at the front of the second upper hall. Along the 
front of this building was a piazza wainscoted overhead, and 
he conceived the idea of hiding between the ceiling and roof. 
Using a case-knife with notches for a saw a hole was cut dur- 
ing the nights underneath his bunk into this space. The boards 
were replaced, the cracks filled with soap, and we waited events. 
On the night of February 13, 18G5, we received orders to move. 
Nine of us stowed ourselves within the hiding place, filling 
it to its utmost capacity. A comrade outside generously re- 
placed the boards, refilling the cracks with soap and then left 
us to our fate. Our party now consisted of Major Reynolds, 
14th N. Y. artillery, Lieuts. R. B. Sinclair and William Hamil- 
ton, 2d Mass. heavy artillery, Lieutenants Devine and Byers 
with three others, now unknown, besides myself. The drums 
beat, the line was formed, and the prisoners moved out of the 
pen to the cars and started for North Carolina. This was about 
one o'clock at night. 



154 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

During the rest of the night the rebel guards searched the 
grounds for prisoners, and in the morning we saw them 
through the cracks form a line across the camp and march 
slowly to the other side, testing every inch of its surface 
with their ramrods and bayonets. Some fifty or more comrades 
were exhumed, for it was an old trick and fully understood by 
the rebels. Guards came within the building where we were 
concealed, searching every nook and corner except where we 
were, and their conversation showed that we were overlooked. 
Our quarters allowed no room for movement, and no utterance 
above a whisper was thought of. The rebel guard withdrew 
during the night of the 14th. On whispered consultation, we 
determined to break our seclusion that night before nine o'clock, 
as citizens at that hour were required to be within their homes. 

It was scarcely more than eight o'clock when we emerged 
from our hiding place, and after a reconnoiter it was decided 
that each man should shift for himself. Entering the deserted 
grounds, now still as death, our own breath and footfall 
startled us with a strange nervousness. The entrance was 
closed, but by the aid of a stick I was enabled to climb the 
stockade and stand within a sentry-box recently occupied by 
one of our guards. I could see nothing but the glimmer of 
lights in the suburbs of the city, and guided by these I soon 
found myself on a street leading into a thickly settled portion. 
Having the utmost confidence in the blacks, who had always 
proved faithful in the protection of escaped prisoners, I deter- 
mined to throw myself upon their generosity. I found myself 
near a cabin not far from a city mansion, and thought it must 
be the servants' quarters. My knock at the door was answered 
by an old " aunty," who looking at me in astonishment, grasped 
my hand and, drawing me into the house, exclaimed, " I know 
you!" The only other occupant was an old colored man, who 
beckoned me to follow him. He took me to a barn, and from a 
scaffold I worked my way around two sides of the barn under 
the hay and made a cozy nest— a safe hiding place— from which 
I could watch operations without. 

It is needless to add that I was at once supplied with an abun- 
dance of food. On the morning of the 16th I found my position 
to be on the east side of the city and nearly opposite to where 
the Union army afterwards entered. The day passed. My 
faithful keepers gave me from time to time the flying rumors 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 155 

as to Massa Sherman's whereabouts and supposed intentions. 
First he was certainly crossing the river above, and then below, 
"for shure, massa." Out of it all I was certain the blue coats 
were coming and the hour of deliverance was at hand. There 
were ominous sounds of hurrying troops and the distant peal 
and reverberation of cannon, which gathered strength as the 
day wore away. My strength increased with the boom of the 
cannon, and for once I found myself thriving on the enemy's 
misfortunes. 

The morning of the 17th of February opened with the hasty 
evacuation and attempt to burn the city of Columbia by the 
enemy. It was hardly more than ten o'clock before a body of 
Wheeler's rebel cavalry issued from the city a quarter of a mile 
distant, firing several buildings, including the railroad depot 
and warehouses, filled with grain and other stores, and then 
passed across the fields on the outskirts of the city and disap- 
peared. There was no chance of a mistake as to who they 
were or what their intention was in firing the buildings. I was 
well satisfied that the evacuation had begun. This was some 
little time before the appearance of General Sherman. My 
colored friends had been instructed to watch events and bring 
me the first blue-coat which entered the city. A little before 
noon I was summoned to appear. Never was order obeyed 
more eagerly as I jumped from the scaffold and was presented 
to an officer of one of Iowa's brave regiments. With one 
bound I was in his arms and beyond that I never knew or felt 
little responsibility for what happened. I have been told that 
the prisoners as they met acted more like crazy men than 
rational beings. 

In passing into the city it was noticed that the streets were 
lined with broken bales of cotton, and from the amount con- 
sumed there was no escape from the conclusion that it must 
have been fired some time previous to the coming of the Union 
forces by the rebels before their retreat. It was so stated to me 
by a number of citizens. 

The fire from the first had been urged on by a high wind, but 
during the excitement attending the evacuation of the enemy 
and occupation by the Union army, little attention had been paid 
to the progress of the flames. It soon became evident that it 
would require energetic work to stop the conflagration. The 
Iowa brigade aided by others battled bravely against its ad- 



156 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

vance, but the strong wind carried the burning brands far and 
wide with destructive effect. It was plain that the fire was be- 
yond control, and but for the presence of an army of disciplined 
men there could hardly have been a building left to mark its 
former site. I never worked harder than that night in saving 
life and property, and yet it was in sight of the hated stock- 
ade where but a few hours previous I had been confined as an 
outlaw. When the morning of the 18th dawned the fire was 
stayed, but five hundred houses, five churches and a convent 
lay in ruins. 

As we were about to leave Columbia, Captain Greble and my- 
self were invited to look after a party of refugees— ladies and 
children desiring to go North. We confiscated a family car- 
riage with a good team and took turns as gallants for 
three or four days; but this was too monotonous for such ex- 
citing times, so we secured a colored "brudder" for this duty 
and joined in the more satisfactory work of Sherman's bum- 
mers. 

On reaching Fayetteville, N. C, we found a Union tug-boat 
which had come up the Cape Fear river to meet our forces. 
The tug had met with considerable opposition in ascending the 
river. I offered my services as artillerist to take charge of the 
guns on the return to Wilmington. Bidding adieu to my com- 
rades and an army unequaled for endurance and bravery, the 
tug turned its prow down the river, reaching Wilmington in a 
single night without opposition. A few days later I reported 
at Washington and received thirty days' leave of absence for 
having made "an escape." Not many hours later I rejoined 
the loved ones at home in "God's country." 



BAND OK HEROKS. 



flHE most remarkable instance, per- and Chaplain Newhall, of General Mi^ 

haps, of a small band of heroes, Mcintosh's staff. a| 

''^^ successfully opposing a vastly su- This little band were every one ■**■ 

perior force, occurred at the very close killed or disabled, but they succeeded 

of the battle of Gettysburg. "The in delaying the enemy nntil General 

enemy were temporarily checked," says Custer came up with the 7th Michigan 

General Doubleday in his history of regiment." The gallant Treichel (now 

the battle, "by a desperate charge on Colonel) still lives, and is the effi- 

their flanks made by only sixteen men cient auditor of the New York Custom 

under Captains Treichel and Rogers, House. 



DECENIBER, 1862. 

HOW IT WAS DONE.-A GREAT SURPRISE, 




N December, 1862, six companies of the Mass. 27th, 
under Maj. W. G. Bartholomew, were the garrison of 
Plymouth, N. C. Learning the whereabouts of a de- 
tachment of Walker's Cavalry Rangers, Lieutenant 
Pliny Wood, with three non-commissioned officers and 
twenty privates, left Plymouth at night for " up country." In 
spite of darkness, rain, and snags, they toiled up the river and 
through branches and creeks until three o'clock in the morning 
of the 21st, when they had made a distance of twenty-five 
miles. After landing, they marched four and a half miles 
through woods and swamps to the Williamston road, a mile 
above, and to the rear of Shiloh church, where the "rangers" 
were quartered. After a full understanding of what was to be 
done, Lieutenant Wood divided his force into four squads and 
advanced, a squad taking position upon each side of the church. 
It was gray of dawn and quite difficult to distinguish objects. 
Lieutenant Wood now shouted, " First Division, halt! Front! 
Ready!" which was responded to on the other sides of the 
church. "Second, Third and Fourth Divisions, halt! Front! 
Ready!" Lieutenant Wood's squad marched to the front door 
and in the name of General Wood demanded an immediate and 
unconditional surrender. Sixteen men came out and surren- 
dered, while the other squads came up and secured their arms 
and the horses tethered close by. At length the rebel sergeant 
asked, "Wherein h — 1 are you uns mens?" and when told to 
" see them " angrily exclaimed: " Is that all? If we had known 

that, you uns would have had a merry fight, by ; but you 

(157) 



158 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



uns ain't got the pickets yet." The countersign was extorted 
from one of the prisoners, when a detail was made to relieve 
the pickets, and soon after the detail returned with four addi- 
tional prisoners and their horses. The party arrived at Ply- 
mouth about noon with twenty prisoners and their arms and 
equipments, twenty-five horses, twelve mules, and forty con- 
trabands; all without the firing of a gun. 



ANIKRICA'S ANSWBR. 

H. BERNARD CARPENTER. 
1861-1885. 



/OW twice twelve years ago, 
When we, thro' fields of woe, 
Weeping, went forth to sow 

Our blood's bright seed, 
We cried to the old-world land: 
" These fresh wounds crave your hand ; 
Help us to balm and band 
In our sore need." 

Then back their message ran : 
" Renounce your cloud-born plan, 
Deeming that man with man 

Can live thus free ; 
Unbind your lictor's rod, 
Teach old disdain to nod. 
Throne custom for your God 

And — live as WE." 



Those twice twelve years are gone, 
War's harvest work is done, 
All our stars sing as one 

From sea to sea, 
While far across the main 
Their skies grow black with rain. 
Where the old world cries in pain, 

"Your help need we." 

Back flies our answering word : 

" Free your soil, sheathe your sword. 

Live ye in love's accord 

As men ; be free ; 
Be one — till peace creates, 
High above gods and fates, 
A World's United States, 

And— live as WE." 



BATTERY D. 

iO »■ B(5 • 0. 

The most daring and desperate act of 
the war by any battery has been credited 
by both Union and Confederate authoi'- 
ity to Battery D, 5th U. S. Artillery, 
Lieut. Ritterhouse, and occurred at the 
battle of Spottsylvania, May 13, 1864. 



GREATEST NUMBER OF BATTLES. 

.0 "■ — ' S'S: — ' o. 
The 85th Pennsylvania participated in 
a gi-eater number of battles (up to Nov., 
1864,) than any other regiment in the 5th 
Corps. It took part in twenty-five, next 
came the 1st Michigan, twenty-four, and 
then the 16th Michigan, twenty-two. 



Cupture of Fort HindmDn, lihm^ Post. 



A DESPERATE ARTILLERY DUEL 



A BRILLIANT SUCCESS FOR THE FEDERAL ARMY. 

JANUARY 11, 1863. 
JOHN W. FRY, Company H, 42d Ohio. 




CTANUARY 11 was 
2A such a day as in the 
•L/ latitude of Ohio 
comes sometimes to 
break the gloom of No- 
vember. The Confeder- 
ate reveille was blown, 
clear and shrill, at dawn. The Federal bugles took up the 
strain, and the eventful day was opened with as tuneful a 
morning call as ever woke an army to battle. The rebels were 
at their posts as soon as the growing light made their position 
visible. Through the center of the isthmus of solid ground, 
between the swamp and the river, upon which Fort Hindman 
and the earthworks were built, ran a road. Sherman's corps 
was ordered to take the right of this, Morgan's corps the left. 
Admiral Porter with the gunboats was to assail the fort from 
the river, while the troops should drive the rebels into the forti- 
fications and carry the works by storm. DeCourcy's brigade 
was early astir. It had lost more than a third of its numbers 
at Chickasaw bayou, and General Morgan decided to hold it in 
reserve that day. General Morgan, with the remainder of his 
corps, pushed up to the front. He had A. J. Smith's division 
of two brigades, and Lightburn's brigade of Osterhaus's divis- 
ion, the other brigade of Osterhaus's division (DeCourcy's) 
being left to watch the White River road and guard the boats. 

(159) 



160 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Smith's division was on Morgan's right, joining the left of 
Sherman's corps, and to the left of Smith, Lindsay, whose line 
reached to the river. McClernand felt sure of his game and 
did not force the fighting. He could afford to take the fort 
scientifically and spare his men. It was preferable to disable 
the casemate guns, and give the garrison a healthful morning's 
work before making the assault. All being ready at eleven 
o'clock, the gunboats engaged the fort at short range. They 
fired rapidly and with such effect that before noon the nine-inch 
barbette gun was split and broken away nearly back to the 
trunnions. Two twenty-pounder Parrotts of Foster's battery 
were run up behind a large sycamore log on the river bank, 
three hundred yards from the fort, and sent shells into the em- 
brasures of the casemates. These two guns were fired with the 
deliberate accuracy of a sharpshooter, and dismounted and cap- 
sized a twelve-pounder iron gun during the morning. The 
other batteries of Morgan and Sherman engaged the field guns 
behind the parapet, and after a sharp duel, pretty effectually 
silenced them. An hour of sharp fighting drove the enemy 
within his works. The assailants were so near also that no 
further advance could be made without a direct assault. The 
gunboats were directly under the fort — so near, in fact, that 
they actually passed and opened a reverse fire upon it. Gen- 
eral Sherman extended his attack so far around to the right 
that his line was weakened on the left, and he called for re-en- 
forcements. Morgan sent him three regiments of Smith's divi- 
sion, and dispatched a courier to bring up DeCourcy. This 
veteran brigade on receiving the summons hurried forward and 
was soon to the front. It was put between Lindsay's brigade 
and Smith's division. While this was taking place a fierce 
artillery fire opened from the point across the river. At first it 
was thought to be a hostile re-enforcement from Little Rock; 
and Lindsay's guns were trained upon it; but just as they 
were about to fire, it was discovered that their guns were firing 
into the fort and along its west front, enfilading the rebel out- 
works with terrible effect. It was Foster, who had been sent 
above the night before to intercept any re-enforcements from 
up the river, and who, after watching the battle some hours, 
had come down on his own responsibility to take a hand in the 
finish. His fire set fire to buildings hitherto sheltered by the 
fort, swept the plain in its rear, and hastened the surrender. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 161 

DeCourcy's assaulting column moved rapidly forward through 
the brush across the open space in front of the works. The fire 
that met this advance was vigorous and rapid, but the enemy 
aimed wildly. They saw the storming column coming from 
all directions, and knew that further resistance was useless. 
Suddenly a white flag was run up at the northeastern angle of 
the fort. The firing suddenly ceased, and DeCourcy's men be- 
gan to cheer. Then the white fiag was pulled down, and a thin 
scattering volley sputtered along the rebel line. The flag had 
been unauthorized. The whole Federal line poured in a final 
broadside, and this proved the finishing stroke of that day's 
work. Instantly the signals of surrender appeared all along 
the enemy's line. White handkerchiefs, tufts of cotton, and 
gray hats were held up on ramrods and bayonets from behind 
their parapet. The command "Cease firing! " was given, and 
in a moment all was hushed excepting a few irregular shots far 
round to the right. The rebels stood up behind their works, 
and the victorious army gave round after round of such cheers 
as we hear but once in a lifetime. 

Five thousand men, with all that was left of the fort and its 
armament, were unconditionally surrendered after a gallant re- 
sistance against overwhelming numbers. Soon after dusk, 
when everything had become quiet, two Confederate regiments, 
a re-enforcement from Pine Bluff, came marching in and found 
themselves prisoners of war. They piled their guns and were 
marched to the river bank, venting their wrath, meanwhile, in 
the hard and picturesque swearing for which Texas civiliza- 
tion is distinguished. 



UNION PRESERVED. FIRST CHECK DRAWN. 



!|ffIRST order that the Union must and TJP'HE first check drawn to send troops 
sliall be preserved. — It was in 1833 forward in defense of tire Union 

that President AndreV Jackson issued in 1861 was given by Hon. Edward 

the memorable order, " The Union — It Learned, of Greenfield, Mass. Mr. 

Must and Shall be Preserved"; and it Learned was at the time visiting the 

was Admiral Farragut who was sent to Chamber of Commerce of New York, 

South Carolina by the President to sup- and it was while there that his check 

port his mandate. for one thousand dollars was given. 
U 



THE BATTLE OF IRISH BEND. 



UP THE TECHE WITH GEJVEBAL BANKS. 



SHARP FIGHTING, WITH SUNDRY PERSONAL EPISODES 
OF THE CAMPAIGN. 

APRIL 14, 1863. 

Prof. H. M. WHITNEY, Beloit, Wis., Sergeant- Major S2d Mass. Volunteers. 




Before them 
Lay, in the golden sun, the lakes of the Atchafalaya. 
On the banks of the Teche are the towns of St. Maur and St. Martin. . 
Beautiful is the land, with its prairies and forests of fruit-trees. •. . 
They who dwell there have named it the Eden of Louisiana. — [Evangeline — 
Part IL, section 3. 

0-DAY, April 14, amends are to be made, for the time 
lost. Miserably wet, weary, and hungry, we throng the 
road, and stop only to find ourselves the reserve and 
"^ spectators in a sharp action that has already 
begun. A bullet occasionally reaches here and 
hits a man. The enemy are strongly posted in 
dense woods and cane-brake before us, and pro- 
tected by a fence, while our men have to charge 
across rough open corn-fields for half a mile. 
With faculties benumbed by the hardships of the 
past few days, we try to make out what is going 
on. It soon appears that the 3d Brigade are trying to dislodge 
the enemy from the woods. The Texas sharpshooters, of whose 
marksmanship we had so uncomfortable an experience before 
Port Hudson the following June, would seem to be represented 
here, for the loss is heavy among the officers; the 159th N. Y. 
loses its colonel, its lieutenant-colonel, its adjutant and other 
officers. A lieutenant of the 25th Conn., after having a bullet 
through his blouse and another through his cap, takes a 

(162) 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 163 

wounded man upon his back to carry him to the field-hospital, 
but lays him down again because another bullet has struck the 
poor fellow, inflicting a second and mortal wound. The firing 
on both sides is sharp and continuous, with frequent yelps from 
the field-pieces throwing shells over the 3d Brigade into the 
edge of the woods. The surgeons choose their location at a 
neighboring sugar-house, and are soon at work — you can tell 
where, by the direction taken by those who carry the wounded, 
perhaps dying, men. Some limp unaided in the same direction, 
their heads bleeding, or their clothes dripping blood. Now you 
hear a sudden crash of musketry; the enemy saved their fire 
till a body of our men almost reached them, and then mowed 
them down, as the British were served at Bunker Hill. Rebel 
prisoners in considerable numbers are marched to the rear or 
stay to identify their dead. The 3d Brigade seemed to be 
spent; in that little time they have lost 320 men. They are 
withdrawn, and the 1st Brigade takes the brunt of the action. 
The 2d Brigade essays to protect their right flank and does so; 
but the 52d gets tangled in a tall, thick, and thorny blackberry 
hedge that no Confederate force could pass, and sheds more 
blood in that way than in fighting with men. They are about 
to follow the 1st Brigade into action, when the firing slackens. 
The enemy have attained their object of protecting the fiank of 
their main army, which is now in full retreat before Emory 
and Weitzel; so they give way before us and are gone. Our 
cavalry pursues them; the artillery whip after them and shell 
them; the infantry remain for that dreadful gleaning which 
has to follow so stiff a fight. Explosion after explosion is 
heard, near and far, as the rebels blow up their fieet on the 
Teche; the Newsboy, the Gossamer, the Era No. 2, and the 
gun-boat Diana are burned in this part of the Teche; the 
Cornie, a most valuable boat, is captured full of wounded men. 
Later, near New Iberia, four transports and the gunboat Hart 
are burned and the Cricket is sunk further up. Immense 
stores of food and ammunition are destroyed. 

Our little battle is known among the men as "Irish Bend," 
It does not make much of a figure in history because only a 
division was present and not all of that fully engaged, but it was 
sharp, obstinate, and bloody, was skillfully handled, and was as 
truly a battle as Gettysburg or Shiloh. The enemy were com- 
manded by "Dick" Taylor, son of President Zachary Taylor. 



TV^HAT TV^AS It? 



A «WONDERFUL*MYSTERY* UNEXPLAINED. 




By CAPT. J. W. DENNY, 25th Mass. 




jN marching to Bache- 
lor's Creek the col- 
^^ umn was halted a 
short time for a rest. It was 
far beyond the hour of mid- 
night, and therefore, the 
wonted time had passed when 
churchyards are supposed to 
be haunted by all sorts of 
spirits, and the air is said to 
be filled with the harmonious 
music of the spheres. It is not 
to be supposed that the men 
forming the 25th Mass., edu- 
cated as they were in the 
schools of Nev/ England, and 
possessing all the general in- 
telligence marking the New 
England character, had gone 
down to North Carolina to be 
frightened by ghosts, owls, or 
live rebels, or that they would 
be inclined to believe in stories 
about ghosts, fairies, witches, 
and apparitions. We say this 
while we well remember that 
so great a poet as Robert Burns 



said," Though no one can be 
more skeptical than I am in 
such matters, yet it often takes 
an effort of philosophy to shake 
off these idle fears." But if 
poor Betty Davison had con- 
centrated all her ghost stories 
upon the 25th Mass. Regt., as 
it was halted in the woods 
upon the darkest of nights, the 
terror could not have exceeded 
that occasioned by the swift 
passage of the apparition, the 
phantom rider, the frightened 
deer, or whatever else it was 
or might be supposed to be. 
Briefly, while the battalion 
stood halted in the road, some- 
thing struck the flank of Co. 
K, which had the advance. It 
came like the rushing of a 
mighty wind, and, suddenly, 
the regiment opened to the 
right and left, and just as sud- 
denly the men were heaped in 
either ditch, without any order 
or regard to rank — captains 



(164) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



165 



and lieutenants, sergeants 
and corporals, men of the 
front rank and men of the rear 
rank, indiscriminately piled to- 
gether like the pying of a 
printer's form, while each 



man's hair upon his head stood 
erect like quills upon a fretted 
porcupine. The 46th Mass. 
Regt., which followed at the 
time, met the same experi- 
ence. 



"^ *->$'^ fI(^-*^-V ^ 



A COMRADE'S MOTHER'S SONG. 



ENEATH the hot midsummer 
' sun 
<^ The men had marched all day ; 
And now beside a rippling stream 
Upon the grass they lay. 

Tiring of games and idle jests, 

A^ swept the hours along, 
They called to one who mused apart, 

" Come, friend, give us a song." 

" I fear I cannot please," he said ; 

" The only songs I know 
Are those my mother used to sing 

For me long years ago." 

" Sing one of those," a rough voice 
cried, 

" There's none but true men here ; 
To every mother's son of us 

A mother's songs are dear." 

Then sweetly rose the singer's voice 

Amid unwonted calm, 
"Am I a soldier of the cross, 

A follower of the Lamb ? 

"And shall I fear to own his cause — " 
The very stream was stilled, 

And hearts that never throbbed with 
fear 
With tender thouo-hts were filled. 



Ended the song, the singer said. 

As to his feet he rose, 
" Thanks to you all, my friends, good 
night, 

God grant us sweet repose." 

" Sing us some more," the captain 
begged, 

The soldier bowed his head, 
Then glancing 'round with smiling lip:*, 

" You'll join with me," he said. 

"We'll sing that old familiar air, 

Sweet as the bugle call, 
'All hail the power of Jesus' name, 

Let angels prostrate fall.' " 

Ah ! wondrous was the old tune's spell 

As on the singer sang ; 
Man after man fell into line. 

And loud the voices rang. 

The songs are done, the camp is still, 
Naught but the stream is heard ; 

But ah ! the depths of every soul 
By those old hymns are stirred. 

And up from many a bearded lip, 

In whispers soft and low, 
Rises the prayer the mother taught 

The boy long years ago. 



TllE STOPING OF MARIE'S \im^ 

A Tornado of Shot and Shell. 





QALIvANT SCENKS OK HEROISM. 



LIVING WALLS SINK BENEATH THE TEBBIBLE FIBE. 



A DESPERATE STRUGGLE.— A GRAND VICTORY. 
MAY 3, 1863. 

H. H. BOWLES, Co. C, 6tli Regiment Maine Volunteers. 




^\X\\XX\X\\V^VX\\X\\X\S>NNX\\X\\X\\X\NV\\X\N'VVCV\ E = 5;lliiii= X\\X\\X\\X\\X\\X\\X\\XXNXNNX\\X\\X\\XX\X\\X\\X\VX 

lURING the winter of 1863 there was organized in the 
Gth Corps what was known as the "light brigade." 
It was composed of the Gth Me., 5th Wis., 31st and 43d 
N. Y., and 61st Penn. — all volunteer regiments. These 
regiments were put under the command of Brig. -Gen. 
C. L. Pratt, of New York. Their badge was a "green cross," 
worn upon the cap. On the afternoon of April 29 it was under- 
stood that we were soon to move, and that evening we broke 
camp and started for the Rappahannock river. All night long 
we made pack mules of ourselves, lugging pontoons down to 
the river, and so quietly was this done, that when we had 
launched the pontoons no intimation of our doings had reached 
the enemy across the river. A detachment of our regiment and 
details from other regiments were ferried across, and captured 
the rebel pickets on the south bank of the river before they 
knew what was up. This was about two miles below the city of 
Fredericksburg. The next morning. May 3, dawned bright and 
clear, and the thunder of guns told us the battle was on. Our 
heavy batteries on Stafford Heights commenced shelling the 
rebel works in a steady and deliberate manner, and, ever and 

(166) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 167 

anon, shells burst within our own lines. The light brigade 
marched, by the right flank, up the river and took position di- 
rectly in the rear of the city, and under Marye's Heights. To 
the surprise of all, came the news that General Pratt had re- 
signed and the command of the light brigade had devolved 
upon Col. Hiram Burnham, of the 6th Me., and that we were 
soon to assault the heights. Everything was got in read- 
iness, and that calm which precedes a storm rested for a few 
moments over the scene. The brigade was formed, as my 
memory serves me, 5th Wis., Colonel Allen, in advance, with 
five companies of this regiment as a double line of skirmishers; 
following the 5th Wis. came the 6th Me., under command of 
Lieut.-Col. B. F. Harris; on the right was, if I mistake not, 
the 43d N. Y., and the 31st N. Y., while farther to the right was 
the 61st Penn., Colonel Spear. Between ten and eleven o'clock 
the order was given to advance. The gallant Burnham, dis- 
daining the bugle call, rode down the line, and in stentorian 
voice gave the order: "Forward!" The command of Colonel 
Harris to the 6th Me. was: " Boys, we're going to charge those 
heights yonder, and we're going to take them, too. Arms 
aport, double quick, march!" And no grander sight was ever 
seen in the battles of the Army of the Potomac. Steadily the 
lines swept on over the beautiful green grass, soon to be 
reddened with the blood of so many of my comrades. 

The shot and shell flew like missiles from a tornado. The 
grape and canister hurled through the ranks, cutting great 
gaps in the living walls. Orders were: "Close up; steady, 
boys!" and the next time another voice gave the command. 
A case-shot or shrapnel had exploded at the head of the 6 1st 
Penn. regiment, killing Colonel Spear and fifteen men, and for 
a time throwing the regiment into confusion. We were now 
on the very ground where the brave Meagher and his noble 
Irishmen were so fearfully cut up on December 13, 1862. Of 
the 6th Me., Major Haycock had fallen, shot through the heart, 
and Captains Gray, Young, Ballenger, Buck, and Roach were 
down. We had reached the first line of rifle-pits, and the 6th 
Me. and the 5th Wis. wildly broke over the rifle-pits, carrying all 
before them, the rebels in this line throwing down their arms 
and marching to the rear. A few rods further on, just at the 
foot of the hill, we came to the second line of rifle-pits. Here 
the fighting was desperate. The Johnnies would not yield a 



168 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

foot of ground, and our boys would not turn back. Our line 
was intact and firm. Although nearly every commissioned 
officer was killed or wounded, and companies were commanded 
by sergeants and corporals, the best of discipline prevailed, and 
the men fought with the courage of despair, maddened by their 
heavy loss, and the perfidy of the rebels who had surrendered 
in the first line, and, seeing us temporarily checked, attempted 
to shoot us from the rear. Men became fiends. The lumber 
men of Maine and Wisconsin, who had handled pick and spike 
all their lives on the rivers and log-jams, used their guns in the 
same manner, Mike Carey, a stalwart Irishman from the 
town of Topsfield, Me., when he saw the Johnnies breaking, 
cried out: " Hang Palfrey, boys! hang! boom 'em, damn 'em! 
boom 'em!" and jumping upon the earthworks he kicked a 
giant Confederate to the ground and drove his bayonet to the 
hilt in his breast. Corporal Brown used his gun as a club, and, 
like a mad demon, brained five men. A wiry little Frenchman, 
Willet by name, bayoneted man after man, and when implored 
by a rebel to spare him, for God's sake, cried: " Me know no 
God; you kill me, me kill 3'ou!" And above all this bellowed 
the guns above our heads, so near now that they could do but 
little harm. 

The line swept on, and now up the steep hill and over the 
escarpment of the stone wall pell-mell. Sergeant Gray, the 
color sergeant of the 6th, was knocked down and the colors 
badly shattered and torn. Sergeant Hill, of Co. C, Gth Me., 
grasped the flag, and springing upon the parapet just as a can- 
non was discharged, the smoke of which blackened his face, 
planted the standard firmly in the earth, and the stars and 
stripes floated gloriously from Marye's Heights, and the day 
was won. The Washington Battery was captured, and in our 
immediate front seven hundred men of Barksdale's brigade. 
The courage and heroism of the 5th Wisconsin in this action 
was not surpassed by that of any regiment in the field. Colo- 
nel Allen, badly wounded in the hand, fought like a tiger. 
Springing through an embrasure, sword in hand, he sabered a 
gunner at his post and mounted the gun in triumph. The other 
regiments in the brigade did equally well; and I must not pass 
by unmentioned the 7th Mass. on our right, under command of 
the heroic Colonel Johns, who led his men so well. The loss of 
the Gth Me. was one hundred and thirty-five officers and men, 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



169 



and that of the 5th Wis. about the same. Colonel Burnham, 
Colonel Allen, and Lieutenant-Colonel Harris went with their 
men up the heights, and were among the first to enter the 
enemy's works. Comrades, this was the storming of Marye's 
Heights as I saw it. All honor to you of the 7th Mass., and 
the Green Mountain boys on our left; but bear in mind tliis 
fact: The 6th Me. flag was the first one planted upon the 
Heights of St. Marye. 



OUR BRAVKS. 

By COL. CHAS. CLARKE. 
{Mzisic, Keller''! American Hymn.) 




LEST be the ground where our Valiant the heroes of our army grand ! 

braves are at rest, Comrades, advance and make sacred 
Honored each shrine where our this rite, 

martyrs repose. Twine your fresh laurel wreaths over 
On through the ages to come shall be the land, 

bless'd. Hallow this day charg'd with mem'ries 
Those who defended our land from its so bright. 

foes ; 

Guarded our land from its traitorous foes. Bless thou our nation, thou God of the 
Comrades, advance in the East and the free, 

West ! Vouchsafe that liberty our Fathers 
Scatter fresh garlands where martyrs gave ; 

repose, Guard thou our country from sea unto 
Plant the old flag where our braves are sea — 

at rest ! Soil which our heroes long struggled to 

save, 

Blest be this day bringing mem'ries so Land of our sires, and redeemed by the 

bright, brave. 

Throughout the length and the breadth Comrades, this trust keep for millions 

of our land. to be. 

Stout were these hearts who fought Ages to come will remember each 

stern for the right, grave, 

Brave were the deeds of this strong Cost of our nation so dear, yet so 

patriot band. free ! 



BATTUE eF RAYfflONB. 



MAY 12, 1863. 



How Gregg's Brigade Fought the Advance of Grant's Army in Mississippi. 

By WILLIAM E. CUNNINGHAM, Captain Company F, 41st Tennessee. 



^y $ '^ ' 



'^* 




""he morning of December 

11, 1863, was bright and 

pleasant. Our men after 

a march of two hundred 
miles from Port Hudson, La., 
were scattered about our camp 
one mile north of Jackson, 
Miss. Our march had been 
tedious, as Grierson's raid a 
short time before had played 
sad havoc with the railroad to 
New Orleans, leaving nothing 
for fifty miles but the hacked 
road-bed. The men were in groups about camp or enjoying a 
cool plunge in the waters of Pearl river, which ran close by. 
Many were the surmises as to our destination and as to the ob- 
ject of our march. Many an eye gleamed and brightened as 
some comrade ventured the prophecy that we were bound for 
Tennessee, for, with one exception, our brigade was composed 
of Tennessee regiments. These surmises were cut short by the 
sharp bugle blast which sounded the assembly. In a few min- 
utes we were ready, and a short march brought us to a hill 
overlooking Jackson. Halting to form, we began the march 
through the city. The 41st Tenn., Colonel Farquhasson, was 
followed by the 3d Tenn., Colonel Walker; then came the 
10th Tenn. (Irish). Colonel McGavock; the 30th, Colonel Head; 
the 50th, Colonel Sugg; and the 1st Tenn. Battery, Major Combs. 
The rear was brought up by Colonel Granbury, 7th Tex., all 

(170) 



' BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 171 

under command of that lamented soldier and gentleman, Gen- 
eral John Gregg, of Texas. As we moved down the wide road 
to the strains of "The Girl I Left Behind Me," I glanced back 
with a feeling of pride in the splendid array of gallant men, 
nearly all of whom I knew personally or by regiment. The 
streets and windows were crowded as we marched along, until 
we passed the depot and took the Raymond road. Raymond is 
the county seat, although Jackson is the state capital, both 
being in the same county. We soon met straggling cavalry, 
who stopped long enough to tell us of a cavalry raid up from 
Grand Gulf. We had been itching for a fight and could not 
have been suited better than to meet the raiders. The country 
was green with growing grain and presented a peaceful, happy, 
and contented appearance. The citizens met us kindly and 
wonderingly. No sound of strife had yet reached that retired 
spot. Early on the morning of the 12th, the town was overrun 
with soldiers, having what we called a " high old time." In 
the midst of fun and feasting the long roll sounded and every 
man answered promptly. As General Gregg moved through 
the town, hundreds of people eagerly watched him, little 
dreaming of the carnage so soon to follow. He formed his 
command with the right, composed of the 41st Tenn., overlook- 
ing the Edwards depot road, and at intervals of fifty or one 
hundred yards successively, with Captain Graves' three-gun 
battery in the center, on the Grand Gulf road. This battery 
was supported by the 10th. We were expecting nothing but 
cavalry, which we felt we could whip. Skirmishers were ad- 
vanced in the thick black copse, and almost instantly the quiet 
was broken by the crack of the rifle, answered by the first big 
gun in our center. 

Suddenly the sound of the skirmisher's rifle was lost in the 
roar of musketry, while our three pieces belched defiance at 
the six gun battery of the enemy on the hill opposite. The 
force of the enemy was developed suddenly, for from right to 
left along our front of a mile, the battle opened at close range. 
At this junction, Colonel McGavock advanced to charge the 
battery, supported by the 3d. We all saw him as with gallant 
bearing he led his men forward, capturing four guns. This 
, was as gallant a charge as was ever made against terrible odds. 
In the moment of success, McGavock fell, shot through the 
heart. Major Grace took command only to fall from a severe 



172 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

wound. The fighting around the battery was bloody in the ex- 
treme. The 3d moved up in support, and in ten minutes 190 of 
the 500 men, comprising their number, were killed or wounded. 
By this time the battle along the whole line was raging with 
incredible fury. At the one hundred and thirteenth round one 
of Bledsoe's guns burst. Still we held our ground and had pos- 
session of the captured guns. General Gregg believed that we 
had encountered something heavier than cavalry, and by ex- 
amining captured prisoners found that they represented eight- 
een different regiments. A whole corps was in our front. 
There was a choice of two things left us — to retreat in the face 
of such numbers or to wait until we were entirely surrounded. 
He decided upon a retreat and this we accomplished success- 
fully, even moving our shattered guns to Mississippi Springs, 
six miles from the battle-field, where we bivouacked for the 
night. On our retreat through Rajanond, we saw ladies with 
quilts and bandages tenderly caring for our wounded. They 
would not leave even after the enemy's shells were flying and 
crashing through the streets and houses. Mournfully we took 
up our line of retreat, carrying off our slightly wounded pris- 
oners to the number of 280. 

With GOOO men, Gregg had met the advance of Grant's army 
and had resisted him in a regular battle of eight hours. Our 
loss was over ten per cent., or 650 men killed and wounded. The 
history of the war furnishes few instances where the heroic 
gallantry of Southern soldiers showed to better advantage. 
After the lapse of years, the memory of Raymond, fought by a 
single brigade of Confederates against fearful odds, stands out 
as one of the most remarkable and hard fought battles of the 
war. Not one of the regimental commanders are now alive, and 
Gregg himself fought his last fight in front of Petersburg and 
sleeps with the rest. This fight proved to be the second act in 
Pemberton's grand drama of the " Fall of Vicksburg." 



In the Wilderness. — The battle of Remarkable Record. — Company H, 

the Wilderness was brought on by Gen- 4th Wisconsin, numbering nearly two 

eral Griffin advancing two brigades, hundred men, served for five years, and 

Ayres's and Bartlett's, and those two only lost three men by disease, a record 

brigades first grappled with the brigade said by the Surgeon-General to be with- 

of rebels under General Heath. out parallel in this or any other war. 



The Episode of Patrick Connolly. 



By REV. JOHN F. MOORS, 52d Massachusetts Regiment. 





FTER we had been in 
"^^ camp several weeks at 
Baton Rouge, and had 
N(^xy received several mails 
from home, I saw a little Irish 
fellow, Pat Connolly, looking 
sad and disconsolate, while the 
others were reading their 
freshly received letters. I 
asked him if he had not re- 
ceived any letters. He replied: 
'' No. There is no one to write 
to me. I never had a letter in 
my life." " Have you no rela- 
tives?" I asked. "No," he 
said, " not one." I learned his 
story, and took care ever after- 
ward to have a kind word for 
him whenever I met him, 
which he repaid with the af- 
fection of a warm and gener- 
ous nature. If when on guard 
or picket he was able to secure 
a canteen of milk or some fresh 
eggs, he was careful to see 
that the chaplain had a share. 
On the night after the battle 
at Irish Bend I secured a 



length of rail fence for my 
own use, while the rest was 
speedily turned into kindling- 
wood, to cook the coffee. I 
took off the top rails and laid 
them over the bottom ones to 
secure a shelter for the night. 
When thus employed Pat came 
up and said he was looking for 
me, as he had heard I was sick 
and without any blanket. I 
was a good deal used up, and 
my blanket and horse had 
been left behind and would not 
be up for a day or two. Pat 
at once offered to share his 
blanket with me. I declined, 
as kindly as I could. Pat was 
not neat, and I knew that if I 
accepted his offer to share his 
blanket, I should have more 
bed-fellows than I wanted. As 
I crawled from under the rails 
next morning, Pat stood by, 
waiting to offer to carry my 
haversack. He had his own 
gun, cartridge-box, knapsack, 
and haversack to carry. I 



(173) 



174 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



told him we were to have a 
forced march that day and he 
must look out for himself. I 
had nothing but my empty 
haversack. It was a hard 
march. At night our horses 
came up, and I had a blanket 
to wrap about me as we lay in 
an open field. 

The next day I found Pat, as 
our straggling line made its 
way over the broad plains of 
western Louisiana. He had 
confiscated a horse, which he 
was leading by a rope; too un- 
selfish to ride, he had piled as 
many knapsacks of Co. B men 
as he could upon the horse, 
and thus relieved the tired and 
footsore men of a portion of 
their burden. At night Pat's 
horse and the chaplain's were 
tied side by side, and shared 
their rations between them, 
Pat close by as guard to 
both. The next day came an 
order to have all confiscated 
horses turned over to the quar- 
termaster. I was eager to save 
Pat's horse for the good he was 
doing the company in carry- 
ing their knapsacks. While I 
was meditating how we could 
save the horse, the quarter- 
master rode up and ordered 
the knapsacks off, and the 
horse turned over to him. 
Some one near me called out, 
"That is the lieutenant- 
colonel's horse, sir." "Well, 
let him go then," replied the 



quartermaster. It was a stretch 
of the truth, but it was not the 
only time the truth was 
stretched all it would bear dur- 
ing the war. Pat kept his 
horse through all that long 
march, and then turned him 
over to the quartermaster. 

All went well with Pat till 
the siege of Port Hudson. On 
the day before the assault of 
the 14th of June, Pat was made 
happy by the arrival of two 
letters which I had caused to 
be written to him. one by my 
wife. He showed them to me 
with great delight. He passed 
unscathed through the fierce 
battle of June 14. The next 
day as he lay behind a log, 
near the enemy's works, he 
thought he saw a head he 
could hit; he fired, and, in the 
excitement, popped up his own 
head to see if he had "hit. A 
dozen bullets flew at him and 
one struck him in the forehead 
and killed him instantly. The 
following night two men crept 
in to where the body lay. They 
found in his pockets the cher- 
ished letters. That was all. 
They threw a few shovels of 
earth over the dead body, and 
that was the last of the good- 
natured, affectionate, unself- 
ish, friendless Irish boy, Pat 
Connolly. There was no one 
at home to mourn his death. I 
shall always cherish his mem- 
ory with tender affection. 




A SUROKON'S 

FIRST AND LAST SIGHT OF A BEAUTIFUL SILKEN BANNER. 

A ^ Braye * Lover * Buried ^ with * tbe ^i^ Flag ^^ Upon * His * Breast. 

JITLY 4, 1863. 

DR. H. L. RUSSELL, Surgeon Alabama Regiment. 

. -^^T^^^. 

OLONEL ALTON," said a fair young Alabama lady, ' 'in 
behalf of the ladies of this village and vicinity, allow 
me to present to the regiment, through you, this silken 
emblem of our country, made by our own hands, a 
fitting tribute to the valor displayed in the uprising of the regi- 
ment to protect our homes." 

"Ladies," responded the colonel, " in behalf of the regiment 
I thank you. Trust me, the flag will be held sacred by us all, 
and we will protect it with our lives, ever looking forward 
hopefully to the time when, our mission accomplished, we can 
with honor bring it back again to Alabama." 

" Now," said the colonel, "who among us considers this flag 
worth his life and will volunteer to carry it?" It seemed as if 
there was a forward movement of the whole regiment, but like 
a flash of light, in front of all stepped a young man, the finest 
type of Southern manly beauty that I ever saw. " Colonel 
Alton," he exclaimed, " let me carry the flag." 

The young lady stepped quickly forward and touched the 
colonel lightly on the arm. 

"Please let Louis have it," she pleaded; "I know he will be 
worthy of the trust." 

" Well, so be it," replied the colonel, as taking Louis Peyton's 
musket he returned in its place the staff of the beautiful banner. 

Engagement followed engagement, but no man looked in 
vain for his colors. Always at the front, cool and determined, 
stood our color-bearer, and as one after another of the color- 

(175) 



176 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

guard were brought back I began to think that Louis Peyton 
bore a charmed hfe. 

July 4, 1863. What a day for history! Vicksburg, Gettys- 
burg, Helena, the first of a downward grade of disaster, the 
end of which was Appomattox. It was extremely necessary, 
owing to the fact that Vicksburg and Port Hudson were 
doomed, that some other point on the Mississippi should be 
held by the Confederates or else the Confederacy would be cut 
in twain. 

So we were marching to attack Helena, a fortified position on 
the west bank of the Mississippi, held by about 4,500 Federals 
under General Prentiss, while the Confederate commands un- 
der Generals Price and Holmes were considerably above that 
number. Anticipating an easy victory, as our scouts had re- 
ported the river free from gunboats, we pressed close to the 
Federal position on the night of the 3d, and at daybreak, the 
4th, commenced the attack. 

A fog had formed in the night, shutting the river from our 
view, but it gradually disappeared, and we beheld upon the 
stream one of our most powerful enemies, the famous gunboat 
Taylor, whose terrible rain of shot and shell forced the Confed- 
erate reserves froin the field, and destroyed Beauregard's great 
charge in the first day's fight at Shiloh. She roared this day, 
and every roar of her guns meant death in our ranks ; 650 shots 
in two hours and a half she poured into the ranks of the gray. 
Neither iron nor steel, let alone flesh and blood, could stand 
that terrible fire. 

. After several unsuccessful attempts to hold captured posi- 
tions on the left, my regiment, with others, were ordered to 
charge a battery situated upon a hill, the key of the Federal 
position, in hopes to turn the guns against the boat. 

The men advanced quickly out on the grassy clearing, which 
sloped gently downward into a narrow valley, then rose again 
to the battery. 

As with wild cheers they went, the fire of every available 
point was brought to bear upon them. Boom! boom! whiz-z, 
bl-bloop, the terrible shells from the gunboat tear through the 
ranks of gray, but still they go on. The air is filled with 
shrapnel from bursting shells. The gunboat's sides fairly 
blaze with fire; still the gray ranks waver not. They have 
reached the valley, are ascending the hill; once within the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 177 

battery they are secure from the gunboat's shells, and they 
press grimly on. 

I watched the scene with fearful interest, and noted how 
steadily the colors moved, and I thought of Louis Peyton, and 
felt grateful that his anxious lover in Alabama could not see 
him there. A moment more and I beheld him at the parapet, 
and in spite of all the endeavors to prevent it I saw the colors 
pass over the wall, and then there came to my ears the curses, 
yells, and cheers of a hand-to-hand fight. I noticed the Stars 
and Stripes fall to the ground, but only for a moment. Through 
the rift of smoke I saw it again held aloft by its brave defenders, 
who rallied around their beautiful banner and fought on. 

A regiment of Federal cavalry, stationed close to the river, 
dismounted and leaving their horses to the care of a few, 
started up a steep, narrow path, leading to the battery, and 
with surprising coolness entered the battery, and were soon 
engaged in the death grapple. It was but a few moments 
until the Confederates broke over the parapet in retreat. As 
the mass reached the open space again, I saw the colors of our 
regiment, but in an instant they vanished. Boom, boom, boom, 
the terrible shells crash through struggling mass of gray, and 
in the intervals between the bursting of the shells I heard the 
bursting of the grapeshot and saw the dead fall in windrows, 
obstructing the living. In that terrible scene our colors re- 
appeared for an instant and then went down. 

In the maddening rush that followed I was carried from the 
field. 

Being in the rear, I soon found myself a prisoner to the Fed- 
eral cavalry, and in looking up to the officer, was agreeably 
surprised to hear my name spoken, and to recognize an old 
college friend. A quick grasp of the hand, a few kind words, 
and I started for the Federal lines under escort. I asked per- 
mission to go upon the field to assist in alleviating the suffer- 
ing of the wounded, which request was granted. With little 
difficulty I reached the " Valley of Death," finding to my in- 
tense satisfaction a number of Confederate surgeons, like my- 
self, bent on aiding suffering humanity. Stumbling along, 
looking for those to help, I heard my name called by a brother 
surgeon. I hastened to his side. 

"Here is your color-bearer!" he exclaimed, pointing to a 
prostrate form, which I instantly recognized as Louis Peyton. 



178 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



But what a change! The silken flag he had so proudly carried 
lay upon his hreast, torn into such small strips a finger would 
cover any one of them. A burly dead Confederate soldier lay 
across his limbs, which we found were both shattered by grape- 
shot. A quick examination revealed a slight movement of the 
heart, and quick as thought I put my brandy flask to his lips. 
His eyes opened, slowly, wearily; looking at me the old light 
seemed to spring to their orbits again. He struggled to speak, 
and bending low I listened. 

" Doc— Doc — the colors — Doc," he hoarsely whispered. 

"Yes, Louis, the colors are here," I replied. 

" Don't— let— them— take it— Doc." 

" No, Louis, they will not take it," I answered. 

" I — tore it — Doc — tell— the girls — that — I — I — " and with a 
smile he closed his eyes on this world, and the grim ranks of 
death had taken in our color-bearer. 

In a short time I found my friend, the Federal officer, and 
taking him to the body, I told him the story of the flag. Leav- 
ing me abruptly, he soon returned with a burial party, and 
although they were burying the Confederate dead in the 
trenches, they gave our color-bearer single burial, leaving his 
flag upon his breast as they found it, excepting two pieces that 
I sent home to Alabama. 



DKCORATION DAY. 



CjpLOWERS for the feet of Peace, 
Q^ Sweet rose and^ily white, 
°^5^ As she retreads the road. 

The blood-red road of fight ; 
The waving corn and wheat 

For the long, hot lanes of war : 
For bastions fringed with flame, 
The light of Freedom's star. 

Flowers for the resting brave ! 

So every grave shall be 
An altar fresh and green 

Sacred to Liberty, 



An altar green and sweet 
For the true heart beneath — 

For each the rose of love. 
For each the laurel wreath. 

Peace, peace, and sweetest fame 

O'er all the land to-day ! 
No anger and no blame 

Between the Blue and Gray. 
To you, heroic dead. 

Resting in dreamless calm, 
We bring the rose of love, 

The victor's stainless palm. 



LiBBY's Bright Side. 



A Silver Lining in the Darl< Cloud of Prison Life. 



A Reduced Fac-Simile Hand Bill of a Famous Christmas Entertainment. 
Pastimes and Amusements. 

By FRANK E. MORAN, Captain 73d N. Y. Volunteers. 



*HE popular belief concerning Libby prison is, that it 
A\^ was a gloomy dungeon, where social pleasure never en- 
nl^^^ tered, and where horrors accumulated upon horror's head. 
A full and fair investigation will establish the fact that this 
popular conception is erroneous to a considerable degree, and it 
is my present purpose to bring to light a few of the pleasures 
of the place. I shall not attempt to present them in symmetrical 
order, but to give them as they arise in memory, after the lapse 
of years. If what I shall recall partakes somewhat after the 
nature of a personal recollection, it must be remembered that 
every prisoner had a personal experience that materially dif- 
fered from that of his comrade. 

It was my misfortune to fall wounded into the hands of 
the Confederates in the battle of Gettysburg, and to remain 
a prisoner for twenty months. The first part of the time 
was spent in Libby prison and the remainder of the time in 
Macon, Ga., and at Charleston and Columbia, S. C. Having 
been captured the second day of the battle of Gettysburg, I 
witnessed the final struggle from behind the Confederate line, 
and was directly in the rear of Pickett's division when its mag- 
nificent charge was made to break the Union left center. A 
column of prisoners accompanied the retreat of the Confeder- 
ate army, crossing the swollen Potomac at William sport in a 
torrent of rain. Our route toward Richmond was through the 

(179) 



180 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

devastated valley of the Shenandoah, our journey on foot being 
not much less than two hundred miles. The column arrived in 
Richmond on July 18, 1863, and we were conducted under 
guard toward the southeastern border of the city, followed by 
a boisterous mob of men, women, and children. We halted 
in front of an antiquated building, over the office of which 
there creaked upon rusty hinges a small weather-beaten sign, 
bearing the inscription, " Libby & Sons, Ship Chandlers and 
Grocers." 

The man Libby was a native of Maine, who, prior to the 
war, owned and occupied the premises, never dreaming that 
the modest sign — scarcely larger than a washboard — would be 
the means of linking his name forever with the most noted of 
military prisons, and withal the most interesting landmark of 
the rebellion. The building had a frontage from east to west 
of 145 feet, and a depth from north to south of 105 feet. It 
stood isolated from other buildings, with streets passing its 
front, rear, and west ends, and with a vacant space on the 
east of about sixty feet in width. The portion of the building 
devoted to the use of the prisoners consisted of nine rooms, 
each 102 feet in length by forty-five feet in breadth. The ceil- 
ing was eight feet high, except in the upper rooms, which were 
higher, better lighted, and better ventilated, owing to the pitch 
of the roof. Rickety, unbanistered stairs led from the lower 
to the upper rooms, and all the rooms of the upper floors were 
connected by doors, leaving free access from one to the other. 
With the exception of a few rude bunks and tables in the 
upper and lower west rooms, which were respectively termed 
"Streight's room" and " Milroy's room," and four long tables 
in the lower middle or "kitchen room," there. was no furniture 
in the prison. The north windows commanded a partial view 
of the hilly portion of the city. From the east the prisoners 
could look off toward the Rocketts and City Point. The south 
windows looked out upon the canal and James river, with Man- 
chester opposite and Belle Isle, while from the windows of the 
upper west room could be seen Castle Thunder, Jefferson 
Davis's mansion, and the Confederate capital. 

Libby prison was a vast museum of human character, where 
the chances of war had brought into close communion every 
type and temperament; where military rank was wholly ig- 
nored, and all shared a common lot. At the time referred to, 



• BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 181 

there were about 1200 Union officers there, of all ranks, and 
representing every loyal state. They were not men who would 
have sought each other's society from natural or social affinity, 
but men who had been involuntarily forced together by the 
fortunes of war, which, like politics, often " makes strange bed- 
fellows." There were men of all sizes and nationalities. 
Youth and age, and titled men of Europe, who had enlisted 
in our cause, might be found among the captives. There were 
about thirty doctors, as many ministers, a score of journalists 
and lawyers, a few actors, and a proportionate representation 
from all trades and professions that engage men in civil life. 
Among them were travelers and scholars, who had seen the 
world, and could entertain audiences for hours with narratives 
of their journeyings; indeed, among the attractions of the 
prison was the pleasure derived by intimate association with 
men of bright and cultured minds; men who had often led 
their squadrons on the tough edge of battle and who in their 
history presented the best types of modern chivalry. It was 
indeed a remarkable gathering and the circumstances are not 
likely to arise that will reassemble its counterpart again in this 
generation. All in all, Libby prison, from the vast mixture of 
its inmates, and from all its peculiar surroundings, was doubt- 
less the best school of human nature ever seen in this country. 

It will not seem strange, therefore, that men of such varied 
talents, tastes, and dispositions, shipwrecked in this peculiar 
manner, should begin to devise ways and means to turn the 
tedious hours of prison life to some account. To this end meet- 
ings and consultations were held to set on foot amusements and 
instruction for the prisoners. 

A minstrel troupe was organized, and its talent would com- 
pare favorably with some professional companies of to-day. A 
number of musical instruments were purchased, forming a re- 
spectable orchestra. 

Refreshing music often enlivened the place when the weary- 
souled prisoner had laid down for the night. If there ever was 
a time and place when that old melody, '' Home Sweet Home," 
touched the tenderest chords of the soldier's heart, it was on 
Christmas Eve of 1863, behind the barred windows of Libby 
prison. Chess, checkers, cards, or such other games occupied 
much of our time. Some busied themselves with making bone 
rings or ornaments, many of them carved with exquisite skill. 



182 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

In the upper east room General Di Cesnola — then colonel of 
the 4th N. Y. Cavalry — instructed a class of officers in the 
school of the battalion. In the upper east room Colonel Cavuda, 
of the 114th Penn., wrote his book afterwards published and 
widely read, entitled " Libby Life." The dream of his life was 
to free his native island from Spanish rule. At every hour of 
the day learned linguists taught classes in French, German, 
Spanish, and all popular languages. Phonography was taught 
as well as grammar, arithmetic, and other branches. A book 
in Libby was the object of immeasurable envy, and I remem- 
ber on seeing an officer with Hugo's " Les Miserables," I sought 
out the owner, put my name down on his list of applicants to 
borrow it, and my turn came six months afterwards. Dancing 
was among the accomplishments taught, and it was truly 
refreshing to see grave colonels tripping the "light fantastic." 
Under the ministers daily and nightly prayer meetings were 
held. It was not infrequent to see a lively breakdown at one 
end of the room and a prayer meeting at the other; to hear the 
loud tum of the banjo mingling with the solemn melody of 
the doxology. The doctors endeavored to enlighten audiences 
by occasional lectures on "Gunshot Wounds," "Amputation," 
"The effect of starvation on the human system," and other 
cheerful topics. 

Gen. Neal Dow, of Maine, eloquently warned his fellow pris- 
oners against the blighting evils of intemperance. While the 
general was a prisoner his cotton mill at Portland was burned, 
and one of the Richmond papers copying the news substituted 
for "mills" the word "distillery," a cruel joke on the earnest 
general. A debating society was formed, and all manner of 
subjects were discussed, bringing to light a goodly number of 
eloquent speakers, who have since achieved fortune and dis- 
tinction throughout the country. A form of amusement at 
night when the lights were out was what was termed the 
"catechism," which consisted of loud questions and answers, 
mimicries and cries, which when combined and in full blast, 
made a pandemonium, compared with which a madhouse or a 
boiler foundry would have been a peaceful refuge. 

Such cries as " Tea^, of Reading!" "Pack up!" "Who 
broke the big rope?" "Who stole Mosby's hash?" and 
"Who shaved the nigger of the truck?" were as intelligible 
as Choctaw to the uninitiated, but plain enough to those who 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 183 

used them, alluding as they did to events and persons of the 
prison. 

At night the prisoners covered the floor completely, lying in 
straight rows like prostrate lines of battle, and when one rolled 
over all must necessarily do the same. It was inevitable that 
among such large numbers there should appear the usual inflic- 
tion of snorers, whose discord at times drew a terrific broadside 
of boots, tin cans, and other convenient missiles, which invari- 
ably struck the wrong man. Among our number was one 
officer whose habit of grinding his teeth secured hiin a larger 
share of room at night than was commonly allowed to a pris- 
oner, and his comrades hoped that a special exchange might 
restore him to his family; for certainly he was a man that 
would be missed wherever he had lodged. On a memorable 
night when this gentleman was entertaining us with his "tooth 
solo," one comrade who had been kept awake for the three 
previous nights, after repeatedly shouting to the nocturnal 
minstrel to "shut up," arose in wrath, and, picking his steps 
in the dark among his prostrate comrades, arrived at last near 
a form which he felt certain was that of the disturber of the 
peace. With one mighty effort, he bestowed a kick in the ribs 
of the victim, and hurriedly retreated to his place. Then arose 
the kicked officer, who was not the grinder at all, and made an 
address to his invisible assailant, employing terms and vigorous 
adjectives not seen in the New Testament, vehemently declar- 
ing in a brilliant peroration that it was enough to be com- 
pelled to spend wakeful nights beside a man who made nights 
hideous with serenades, without being kicked for him. He 
resumed his bed amid thunderous applause, during which the 
grinder was awakened and was for the first time made aware of 
the cause of the enthusiasm. 

The spirit of Yankee enterprise was well illustrated by the 
publication of a newspaper by the energetic chaplain of a New 
York regiment. It was entitled The Libby Prison Chronicle. 
True, there were no printing facilities at hand, but, undaunted 
by this difficulty, the editor obtained and distributed quantities 
of manuscript paper among the prisoners who were leaders in 
their several professions, so that there was soon organized an 
extensive corps of able correspondents, local reporters, poets, 
punsters, and witty paragraphers, that gave the chronicle a 
pronounced success. Pursuant to previous announcement, the 



184 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



" editor " on a stated day each 
week, would take up his posi- 
tion in the center of the upper 
east room, and, surrounded by 
an audience limited only by 
the available space, would read 
the articles contributed during 
the week. 

" The Prison Minstrels" were 
deservedly popular. The troupe 
was organized and governed 
by strictly professional rules. 
Nothing but the possession and 
display of positive musical or 
dramatic talent could com- 
mand prominence, and as a 
natural consequence it was a 
common occurrence to see a 
second lieutenant carrying off 
the honors of the play, and the 
colonel of his regiment carry- 
ing off the chairs as a " supe." 
Our elephant, by the way, de- 
serves especial mention, not 
only because of his peculiar 
construction, but because both 
intellectually and physically 
he differed from all elephants 
we had previously seen. The 
animal was composed of four 
United States officers, which 
certainly gave him unusual 
rank. One leg was a major, 
a second a naval officer, a third 
a captain of cavalry, and the 
last leg was by the happy 
thought of the astute manager 
an army surgeon. A quantity 
of straw formed the body; the 
tusks and trunk were impro- 
vised from the meager re- 



HBBI FE1.S0I 

MINSTRELS! 

JIanager, - . - - Lt. G. W. Chandler 
Treasiker, - - . . Capt. H. W. Sawyer 
CoSTiMER, - ... - Lt. J. P. Jones 

Scenic Artist, Lt. Fentress 

Captain of the Supers, - - - Lt. Bristow 

THURSDAY EVENING, DEC. 24thi 1863, 
program: N4E. 

PART FIRST. 

Overture— "Norma" TRorpE 

Opening riionrs— "Ernnni" Troupe 

Song— Who will care lor Jlother now . 

Capt. Schell 

Song— O'-afted m the Aniiy . Lievt. Kendall 
SoK(i— When the liloom is on the Kye . 

Adjt. Lombard 

Song— Barn-yard Imitations . . . ('apt. Mass 
Song— Oo they think of me at Home Adjt. Jones 
Chorus— Phantom Troupe 

PART SECOND. 

Ditet— Violin and Flnte— Serenade from "Lnoia." 

Lieuis. Chandler au<l Kockwell 

Song and Dance— Root Hog or Die . ( aiit. Mass 

Banjo Solo Lieut. Thomas 

Duet— Dying (iiil's Last Request 

Adjts. Lombard and Jones 
Magio Violin. Capts. IMass, Chandler and Kendall 
SoiVu- My Father's Custom . . Lieut. ilcCaulley 
Clog Dance Lieut. Rvan 

Joe Skimmeruorn Capt. JIass 

George Iversok Lt. Randolph 

PART THIRD. 

Pp0f eORi^PJI G^IiLEFY. 

Proprietor Capt. Ma.ss 

I'.oY Lt. Randolph 

Countrvman Maj. >>eiper 

MASQUERADE mm 

Manager Adjt. Jones 

Door-Keeper Capt. .Mass 

Musician Lt. Chandler 

Member of the Press Lt. Ryan 

JIosE . Lt. AVelsh 

Black Swan Lt. Moran 

Broadway Swell Lt«15ennett 

Richard III Capt. McWilliams 

THE WHOLE TO CONCLUDE WITH A 
■rformance to commence at 6 o'clock.^so 

FREE-CMlilren in Arms Not Aflmittefl, 

Adjt. K. C. KNACGS, 

Business Agent. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 185 

sources of our "property room." The whole was covered in- 
geniously by five army blankets. Indeed the elephant, seen by 
the ••footlights" (four candles set in bottles), was pronounced 
by the critics of The Lihhy Prison Chronicle "a masterpiece 
of stage mechanism," 

It happened one evening when it was determined to compli- 
ment the efficient management with a rousing benefit, that two 
officers, whose duty it was to impersonate the hind legs of the 
elephant, were unable to appear on account of sudden illness, 
and their places had to be filled at the last moment by two 
other officers, who volunteered for the emergency. This was 
an acknowledged kindness on the part of the volunteers, but 
their acceptance of the parts without sufficient rehearsal proved 
exceedingly embarrassing to the management and positively 
disastrous to the elephant himself, or, to speak more accurately, 
to themselves. At the appointed time the elephant appeared, 
his entree being greeted with the usual round of applause. In 
spite of the lack of preparation the wonderful tricks of the 
animal were very creditably performed and enthusiastically 
recognized by the crowded house. The anxious nmanager was 
happy as he gave the signal at last for exit. Most unfortunately 
at this vital moment certain strange convulsive actions of the 
animal revealed the painful fact that a positive difference of 
opinion existed between the fore and hind legs of the animal as 
at which side of the stage the exit should be made. In vain the 
perspiring manager hissed from the wings: "To the right, gen- 
tlemen! For God's sake, go to the right! " A murmur of excite- 
ment ran through the audience, the convulsions of the animal 
grew more and more violent, and excited people in the audience 
shouted loudly: "The elephant's got a fit!" "The monster 
is poisoned!" "Play the hose on him!" "Down in front!" 
"Police!" A perfect babel ensued, in the midst of which the 
seams of the blanket gave way and the shrieking audience 
witnessed the extraordinary spectacle of an elephant walking 
off in four different directions, each leg fiercely gesticulating 
at the other and exchanging epithets more pungent than par- 
liamentary. The despairing manager had no alternative but 
to ring down the curtain, but in his excitement he pulled the 
wrong rope, the sky fell down on the heads of the orchestra, 
and the show ended for the evening. The stage was at the 
northern end of the kitchen, and was formed by joining four 



186 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

long tables. The curtain was made of army blankets sewed 
together, and was suspended by small rings to a horizontal 
wire over the heads of the orchestra. It could be drawn to- 
gether and apart at the manager's signal bell. 

One of the best performances given was on Christmas Eve, 
1863. That night the room was crowded with men who felt a 
homesickness that needed some mental physic such as we pro- 
posed to give. It was a time for thoughts of wives, children, 
and sweethearts at the North, and perhaps our play did them 
good. Programmes, neatly printed in the prison, from which 
a reduced fac-siraile has been made, were freely circulated. 

The most exciting event in the prison's history was the famous 
tunnel escape, February, 1864, by which 110 of the prisoners 
gained their liberty — or rather about lialf of them — fifty of the 
number being retaken outside the Richmond works, the writer 
being one of those recaptured. The tunnel was certainly an 
ingenious and perilous work, projected and completed under 
the direction of Col. Thomas E. Rose, of the 77th Penn. Regt., 
who escaped through it, but was unfortunately retaken. 

Considerable excitement was caused by the arrival of a 
woman at Libby in the uniform of a Union soldier, she having 
been discovered among the prisoners on Belle Isle in an almost 
frozen and famished condition. Inquiry revealed the fact that 
she had in this garb enlisted in a Western cavalry regiment in 
order to follow the fortunes of her lover, who was an officer in 
another company of the same command. 

In a skirmish in East Tennessee she had the ill luck to be 
made a prisoner. Her case naturally awakened active sympa- 
thy amongst her fellow prisoners, and a collection of money 
was made by them to procure her a supply of clothing, so that 
she might be sent home by the next flag of truce. 

It would fill an interesting volume to sketch briefly the lives 
and experience of the men who have been within the walls of 
Libby or to trace their career since. Many have since fallen 
upon the battle field, and a sad number have died from the 
effects of their long imprisonment. 

Some have since become the governors of states and some 
have held seats in the Cabinet. Their voices have been heard 
in Congress, at the bar, and in the pulpit, and their names will 
remain a proud heritage to their children and their country. 



Battle of Yicksburg. 



MAY 22, 1863. 



MINIE, GRAPE, CANISTER, AND SHELL.— A SCORCHING 
SHEET OF FLAME. 

C. D. aiORlilS, Company E, 33d Illinois. 



^ <^ 'jC^ -K^ 





•<ay" <^^ <^>^ ^SlN- '-4^^ '4^ 

^Jint, ^-^A ^-i^^^ <i^A Jsn^y.jS^^ 

HE 22d of May, 1863, is a dark spot in the memory of 
many, and there is scarcely one of the old guard who 
either does not carry a reminder of it on his person or 
points to that fatal day as the last on earth of some 
cherished comrade. 

Carr's division had hot work on the 21st in mov- 
ing into position near the railroad. Every move 
was greeted with storms of grape and canister and 
the ever-present song of the minie. The 1st Brig- 
ade, consisting of the 33d 111., 8th and 11th Ind., 
and 99th 111,, commanded by Brigadier-General Benton, was 
moved up to within three hundred yards of the enemy's works 
the evening of the 21st, and passed the night under the shelter 
of an abrupt hill. We had muskets as bed-fellows, and empty 
stomachs and full cartridge-boxes, with which to dream of the 
morrow. Those of us who had been sharpshooting until day- 
light of the 22d knew something of what was before us, and 
when another company came and relieved us at dawn of the 
22d, so that we might lead the charge that day, the gallant 
Major Elliott said that he appreciated the compliment, but that 
many a brave boy would fall that day. A spirit of solemnity 
seemed to pervade the brigade as it massed in view of the 
enemy. Men congregated in little groups conversing in un- 
dertones. Letters conveying a last farewell were hurriedly 

(187) 



188 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

written, messages and keepsakes were given to comrades by 
those who knew this was to be their last charge. Yet they did 
not hesitate; and to my personal knowledge their sad presenti- 
ment was verified in almost every case. Officers, outwardly 
calm, moved aimlessly about, anxiously consulting their time- 
pieces. Aides from brigade headquarters came and went, run- 
ning the gantlet, and dodging the shells that came shrieking 
down the ravines. As the hour of ten drew nigh the four colo- 
nels — Lippencott of the 33d, Washburne of the 18th, Schenck of 
the 8th, and Baily of the 99th — held a consultation, and, to see 
who should lead the brigade, cast lots for position. It was won 
by Colonel Baily of the 99th; the 33d next, then the 18th and 8th. 
Our artillery were emptying their limber-boxes as fast as muscle 
and powder could do it, and as the decisive moment ap- 
proached, it seemed as though their exertions were redoubled, 
and that the sulphurous blast of flame and smoke, and the mur- 
derous roar would stifle and crush us. Men sprang to their 
feet, grasping their muskets with a grip of iron. Officers 
tightened their belts, and in quick, fiery words gave the com- 
mand, "Fall in!" In an instant the brazen mouths that for 
three hours had spoken, were for the first time, silent. The 
men forming Grant's army crouched with nerves of steel, ready 
to spring upon their foe. They came as conquerors, and were 
anxious to try issues with their enemy, even in his stronghold. 
Colonel Baily — divested of coat and vest, and with arms 
bared to the elbow — sprang to the head of his regiment, and 
with the single word, "ForwardI" sent the hot blood tingling 
through our veins. The hour of nervous waiting — the hardest 
part to bear in patience — was over. Our course was around the 
base of a hill and up by the right flank, through a narrow defile, 
until the crest was nearly reached, and there, as we swung 
into line, not one hundred yards away, burst a withering, 
scorching sheet of flame, unmerciful in its intensity, sent 
forth by desperate men. Hundreds went down. The gallant 
Baily fell grievously wounded. The 99th could go no further. 
The 33d, charging over the same ground, fared not even so well, 
for as we came into line the same fearful blast struck and virt- 
ually annihilated us; for in that day's work, out of nearly 
sixty men there were only seven or eight to report for duty 
the next morning, and some of these were bruised and 
wounded. The 18th and 8th, coming up quickly, met much the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 189 

same fate; some of them, with scattering ones from the two 
preceding regiments, turned to the right, and Colonel Wasli- 
burne, of the 18th, found partial shelter in an angle of their 
works, and there, with the missiles of death raining around, 
the hat sun pouring down, amidst the wail of the wounded, the 
fierce yell of the victors, the incessant roar of musketry, we 
kept them down in our front; death stared us in the face if we 
remained or if we attempted to get down. Some of our colors 
were planted on the walls of the fort. Washburne's ringing 
voice could be heard above the din, shouting encouragement to 
us. 

McClernand, away in the rear, called loudly on Grant for 
help. We knew it was madness to send men there. Grant, as 
near to us as McClernand, thought as much. The rebel rifle-pits 
to our left could fire upon us, and every now and then some 
poor fellow would go down. The terrors of that day made men 
grow old. The appeal for help was answered. Boomer's 
brigade attempted to reach us, but they could get no nearer 
than two hundred yards. Boomer himself was killed. We 
then knew to stay longer was useless, and so, one by one, w^e 
stole away, running the gantlet for life and liberty. 

No one can describe that terrible day. Individual deeds of 
heroism would fill a volume. 






RELIEVED BY THE REBELS. 

H. H. BOWLES, Company C, 6th Maine. 



{\N the affair at Salem Church, where called in. In fact part of the line was 

) the 6th Corps was nearly surrounded captured. Just at this time General 

and came near being captured, Colo- Sedgwick, seeing Colonel Ellmaker, 

nel Ellmaker, of the 119th Penn., was hastily rode up to him and impatiently 

ordered to take his regiment out to the demanded : — 

front as pickets or videttes and to stay " Colonel Ellmaker, who relieved you? 
there till relieved. It soon became who relieved you, sir?" 
evident that to hold position was no " Rebels, sir," was the laconic re- 
longer to be thought of, and that to joinder of hero of the 119th. Sedgwick 
save capture the regiment must be turned and rode away in silence. 



THE PLYMOUTH PILGRIMS. 



HOW THEY WERE CAPTURED. 

APRIL 20, 18C4. 

ROBERT P. BLACK, Co. E, 103 P, V. V. (Plymouth Pilgrim). 



* 



':i< 




HE town of Plymouth Hes on the right bank of the 
Roanoke river seven miles from the Albemarle Sound. 

"f At the time here mentioned, it was garrisoned by Wes- 
sell's brigade, consisting of the 85th and 
9fJth N. Y., 101st and 103d Penn., and IGth 
Conn. Regts, There were besides two 
companies of the 12th N. Y. Cavalry, 2d 
Mass. Heavy Artillery, the 23d N. Y. Bat- 
tery, 1st N. C. Union Vols., and some 
negro recruits. On the river were the 
gunboats Miami, Southfield, and White- 
head. The effective land force was about 1,800 men. 

On Sunday evening, April 17, 18G4, our cavalry pickets came in 
on the run, with the news that the rebs had driven in our picket 
line. A strong support was at once sent out, but they met a 
line of battle, four deep, backed by two batteries of artillery. 
This was at dark, and for nearly three hours a storm of shot 
and shell flew over us. The earth fairly shook, and the scream- 
ing of shot and shell was deafening. The rebs finally withdrew, 
taking only two whole guns out of the two eight-gun batteries 
that came into line three hours before. Their loss was terrible; 
ours, only trifling. 

The next morning, about an hour before daylight, they again 
charged our lines, and took the 85th N. Y. prisoners and turned 
their swivel gun on us. They took the 96th IST. Y. about the 

(190) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 191 

same time, but the guns at the latter place did not do so much 
harm, owing to their peculiar position. There was steady 
picket firing all day, and another heavy charge after dark, 
which was met and repulsed with slight loss. The next morn- 
ing (Tuesday) the rebel ram Albemarle came down the river 
and was on us before we knew it, sinking the gunboat South- 
field, and driving the others down the river. The channel of 
the river had been obstructed with torpedoes, but owing to the 
high water the ram passed safely over them. Captain Flusser, 
of the Miami, lost his life by a rebound of a piece of one of his 
own shells. Had he lived, it is more than probable we would 
not have been taken prisoners. They were now in possession 
of our front, right, and rear. That forenoon (Tuesday) we 
formed and charged the rebs time and again, but each time we 
were driven back, and the 85th Penn. was captured by piece- 
meal. At each charge we lost ground, and a few more prison- 
ers fell into the enemy's hands. Night came on with our 
position entirely surrounded, and during the night the 101st 
Penn. lost, as the 85th had during the day, a few of its men at 
a time. 

At daylight the 2d Mass. Heavy Artillery was also "gathered 
in," and the sun arose over about as helpless and forlorn a 
garrison as can well be imagined. Our nearest forces were sixty 
miles distant, and the country between held by the enemy. Our 
commanding general. Brig. -Gen. H. W. Wessells, hoped against 
hope, and refused to surrender, as there was a bare possibility 
of re-enforcements coming up the river to our relief. The 
enemy had by this time got into houses in the town and com- 
pelled us to fight them from the front of our works. The swivel 
gun on the 85th N, Y.'s works annoyed us fearfully, doing us 
more harm than all the others. It killed Sergeant Logan, took 
Corporal Burtner's foot off, grazed my cap and ruptured my left 
fore-arm with a single shell. The 16th Conn, were taken, 
a few at a time, early in the morning; the few that were left 
of us fought from the wrong side of our works until about 11 
A. M., when General Wessells, seeing that further resistance was 
useless — permitted the flag on Fort Williams to be lowered. 
We all realized that we were in a sad fix. Our captors, Gener- 
als Ransom and Hoke, allowed us to take our clothing and 
private property, but a little sneak of a reb, spying my watch 
chain, and, being at some distance from his superiors, declared 



192 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

that if I did not give it up he would shoot me. That reb got 
the best watch in the regiment. It was an English open face, 
cap lever, full jeweled, gold hands, and No. 6G0. As soon as 
we surrendered we were placed under a strong guard and 
ordered to "fall in" by company and regiment, and were 
marched to the woods, on the road leading up the river, and in 
sight of our late camp. Here all the prisoners were assembled 
and searched by the 35th N. C. for deserters from their regi- 
ment. One of these deserters stood at my elbow and was passed 
and repassed by his cousin, yet not recognized. A roll was 
taken of all our names, with rank, company, and regiment. 
Of the negroes who were captured, a part had enlisted, but I 
think had not been mustered into the United States service, 
but were intended as recruits for some colored regiments. 
These were taken out the next morning to the edge of the 
woods and shot down like so many cattle. There must have 
been from sixty to eighty of them. It looked rough to see 
those poor colored men shot down in cold blood. Surely their 
l)lood cries from the ground! Yet, if I mistake not, this same 
General Ransom represents his state in the United States Sen- 
ate! The next morning we were placed under the care of the 
35th N. C. to be sent "up country" as prisoners of war. We 
were surrendered on April 20, 1864, and from that time until 
May 3, we were in transit to Andersonville, Ga. Old prisoners 
will readily recall the arrival of the " Plymouth Pilgrims," as we 
were called. A great many incidents happened on the way that 
amused us. I recall passing on foot near Tarboro, N. C, a big, 
frowzy-headed women, with a dozen or so equally frowzy chil- 
dren about her. She asked one of our guards where our 
"horns" were. She had always believed the Yankees had 
horns, and was surprised to see we had none. 

When we crossed the Cape Fear river, at Wilmington, N. C, 
we were ferried over on an old tub of a ferry-boat that could 
carry only about 250 at a time. While the last squad was 
crossing one of the guards took three of us back of an old cot- 
ton shed, and one of Co. K (lOod Penn. Vols.)— Mort Jones, I 
think — stopped close to me while the other and the guard 
passed on a few steps. Jones was smoking a pipe, and, reach- 
ing through the shed, he got a handful of cotton and set it on 
fire with his pipe. He then rolled it up and shoved it through 
the crack in the shed. Soon after we left Wilmington we saw 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



193 



a large light behind us. That evening, at Charleston, we saw 
an account of a big fire at Wilmington that morning, with a 
loss of more than a million dollars' worth of cotton belonging 
to the Confederate government. We quietly smiled. This was 
May 1, 1864. 




Gbnkral Looan. 

S— By CHAPLAIN F". DENISON, Providence, R. I. — g 



filiHEN from our hills the slogan 
Ws^] rang, 
Quick to the call brave Logan sprang, 

For law and liberty ; 
His statesman's robe he laid aside 
To breast rebellion's bloody tide. 
To save our land, or die. 



The best was native in his blood 
To battle for our brotherhood ; 

Intense his love for right ; 
All bonds of party and of clan 
Gave way before the mightier man ; 

He knew but Freedom's fight. 

Nor braver soldier bore a gun. 
Amid the carnage of Bull Run ; 

E'en so upon Belmont, 
Fort Henry, Donelson, and fields 
A score, mid blood-wet swords and 
shields, 

He dauntless held the front. 

In him oppression found a foe. 

To honest deal firm word and blow. 

Until it humbly kneeled ; 
Then warmly was outstretched his hand, 
Broad over all our ransomed land, 

That woundings might be healed. 
13 



Among the brave Grand Army host, 
He held the first commanding post — 

An honor well deserved ; 
Devoted to the common good, 
In every public place he stood 

With loyalty unswerved. 

To all the leaders that we scan — 
Grant, Lincoln, Sherman, Sheridan — 

His soul was closely wove ; 
Unselfish, fearless, ever true, 
Elect among the deathless few. 

Shrined in our country's love. 

In field and forum, still the same. 
Unmoved alike by praise or blame. 

His nobleness confessed ; 
His record full, secure in fame, 
Our nation will revere his name, 

Aloft among her best. 



BATTLE AND ASSAULT 

AT PLAINS STORE AND PORT HUDSON. 



§©w ili BeelS U® he Sfen»u8l\ by a Bullefe. 




THE 49tli MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS BRAVE DEEDS IN LOUISIANA. 

May 27, 1863. 
By COL. SAMUEL B. SUMNEE, 49tli Massachusetts Volunteers. 



%M, JpIHURSDAY, May 26, volunteers were called for for a 
"' ■''^■^ storming party on the rebel works at Port Hud- 
son. Major Plunkett, Lieutenants Sherman and 
Siggins and about fifty others from the 49th at 
once responded. Other regiments furnished vol- 
unteers in proportion, so that the required quota 
was speedily forthcoming. This day was mainly devoted to 
organizing the storming party, half of whom were to carry 
muskets and half facines — bundles of saplings five or six feet 
long — to be thrown into the ditch in front of the works to make 
a passage for troops and artillery. Lieutenant Colonel O'Brien, 
of the 48th Mass. , was selected to command this forlorn hope. 
The night of May 26 was employed in lively preparation and 
hasty thoughts, and writing hasty messages home. May 27, 
we were early in the line, and an aide-de-camp, riding along, 
exclaimed, "You will make history to-day !" We soon filed into 
some woods, out of sight of the enemy, over and through which 
shot and shell were rushing in a style decidedly promiscuous. 
Colonel Bartlett, of the 49th Mass., sat pale and collected 
astride his steed, as with his artificial limb, he must needs go 
into the coming fray mounted or not at all. 

At last the supreme moment came, and we marched through 
the woods till we reached the open, where the familiar order 

(194) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 195 

was given, "On the right, by file, into line!" When the rebs 
saw that order executed, they knew well that the next move 
would be forward. We found ourselves confronted with an 
abatis between us and their fortifications. Charging at double- 
quick was out of the question, but it was remarkable how well 
we managed for some distance to preserve our line, which, 
however, was broken up soon enough by our antagonists. 
They opened a most determined fire of shot, shell, and shrapnel, 
with every projectile then known in the art of war. A rattling 
thunder-storm and hurricane, and an accompanying conflagra- 
tion, I consider the nearest resemblance to it Avhich the unini- 
tiated can imagine. Who shall understand who has not heard 
it, the unearthly moan and shriek of the shell, and the zip-zip 
of musketry, as if a myriad of wood- choppers were swinging 
their axes in that prostrate forest! It became wofully apparent 
that we should never reach the parapet, or the moat for which 
our fascines were intended. Colonel Chapin, commanding our 
brigade, dashed passed us, waving his sword. A few minutes 
later he was shot through the head. Lieutenant Doming of the 
49th was at about the same instant killed by a bullet crashing 
through his brain. All at once a glance at my left showed Col- 
onel Bartlett reeling in his saddle. My place was then in the 
rear of the colors. 

A moment later and it seemed to me that I was stricken by 
something of the size of a brick-bat, in the left shoulder. The 
sensation was not so acute as stunning. I put my hand between 
my fatigue coat and vest, and drew it away to find it dabbled in 
blood. I pushed for the nearest refuge of a fallen tree, where 
others almost immediately sought the same protection. The 2d 
Louisiana (a Federal regiment recruited by northern officers) 
marched over us as we lay there, but did not succeed in ad- 
vancing far beyond our outpost. After a while the firing in 
our immediate front slackened somewhat, and we could see 
tliat the rebels were turning their attention to General Sher- 
man's division on our left. 

After great work and effort we at last reached the woods 
from which we had sallied, and measurably out of range of 
sharpshooters. There I remember being hastily examined 
by a surgeon, and placed upon a stretcher, and carried to the 
surgeon's quarters of the 49th. Almost the first person I recog- 
nized there was Colonel Bartlett, who lay at the foot of a tree 



196 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



with his arm in a sling and his head bound up with strips Hke 
so many lines of latitude and longitude. 

Next morning, May 28, several of us were assisted to our feet 
and braced up to gaze upon the familiar forms of our dead 
which had been brought in during the night. They were the 
men who, in full life, had waded with us the afternoon before 
into that sea of blood. I cannot call the roll. Our loss had 
been sixteen killed outright, and sixty-four wounded, many 
fatally. The assault had failed and nothing now remained but 
the slow process of a siege, to which at last, the garrison suc- 
cumbed. 





JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE, MOTHER. 



fUST before the battle, mother, 
I am thinking most of you, 
When upon the field we're watching, 
With the enemy in view; 
Comrades brave around me lying, 
Filled with thoiights of home and 
God, 
For well they know that on the morrow 
Some will sleep beneath the sod. 

Chorus. — Farewell, mother, you may 
never 

Press me to your heart again, 
But, O, you'll not forget me, mother, 

If I'm numbered with the slain. ^ 

O, I long to see you, mother, 
And the loving ones at home, 

But I'll never leave our banner 
Till in houor I can come; 



Tell the traitors all around you 
That their cruel words, we know% 

In eveiy battle kill our soldiers 
By the help they give the foe. 

Chorus — Farewell, mother, you may 
never, you may never 
Press me to your heart again ; 
O, you'll not forget me, mother, you 
will not forget me, 
If I'lu numbered with the slain. 

Hark! Ihear the bugle sounding, 

'Tis the signal for the fight ! 
Now may God protect us, mother. 

As He ever does the right ! 
Hear the battle-ci-y of Freedom, 

How it swells upon the air! 
O, yes, we'll rally 'round the standard, 

Or we'll perish nobly there! 
Chorus. — Farewell, &c. 



•*-H 



H-^ 



JUNE 8, 1863, 

The Kaivlous cavalry Enqaqeivient. 

BLADE TO BLADE, STEEL TOUCHES STEEL. 
WM. F. MOTEB, Sergeant Company D, 1st P. V. C, Logansvllle, Fenn. 





^J^UNE 7, 18G3, was spent in the bustle of preparation, 
haversacks were stored, cartridge-boxes filled, horses 
shod, the sick sent back, and preparations for active 
campaigning gone through with. Then commenced 
irksome and wearying de- 
lays. 

Evening came and night 
passed, and reveille 
awoke us to another day's 
expectancy; but at noon, 
the bugle at division head- 
quarters sounded the "general." Tents were struck, saddles 
packed, and the regiments massed in close column. After a delay 
of an hour or two more for our trains to get on the road we heard 
the "advance" sounded. Slowly pursuing our way through 
heat and clouds of dust, raised by the march of a division of 
cavalry over parched and arid fields, we as length reached the 
vicinity of the Rappahannock river, and at 9 p. m. bivouacked 
about a mile from Kelley's Ford. The unusual precaution 
taken to prevent unnecessary noise betokened that we were in 
the neighborhood of the enemy and might expect an encounter. 
We were roused from our slumber at three o'clock the next 
morning, and before we had finished breakfast, we heard the 
thunder of Buford's cannon at Beverly Ford. He had already 
commenced crossing his division. The alarm brought us to the 
saddle, and soon we were drawn up on the river bank around 
Kelley's Ford awaiting our turn to cross. 

(197) 



198 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

In half an hour we had passed the river and were pressing 
forward into the interior, DufRe's 3d Brigade having the ad- 
vance. After proceeding some miles we turned off in the direc- 
tion of Stevensburg, while Wyndham's command moved rap- 
idly towards Brandy Station, with orders to find the enemy and 
at once engage him. These were just the orders for gallant 
men and dashing brigade commanders. Moving at a brisk trot, 
— the 1st N. J. Cavalry in front, the 1st Penn. next, and Mar- 
tin's battery and the 1st Md. Cavalry bringing up the rear,^ — in 
less than an hour we had reached the vicinity of the station 
and were engaged with the enemy's skirmishers. 

Hurrying our columns from the wood through which the road 
had led the last two miles. Colonel Wyndham formed his 
brigade in columns of regiment in the open field east of the 
station, and, leading the 1st N. J. in person, ordered the line to 
charge. Our sudden appearance on the flank and rear of the 
enemy, took him by surprise, and for some minutes the hills 
and plains beyond the railroad swarmed with galloping squad- 
rons of Johnny Rebs hurrying to a new position to meet our 
attack. The 1st Md., with Companies A and B of the 1st Penn. 
Cavalry moved down on the station. Colonel Wyndham led 
the 1st N. J. against a battery on the heights beyond the rail- 
road, and the balance of the 1st Penn. directed its operations 
against the Barbour house — a large mansion on a high knoll 
just beyond the railroad and about half a mile north of the 
station. 

The field presented a scene of grand and thrilling interest. 
A whole brigade of cavalry, in column of regiments, was mov- 
ing steadily forward to the attack on our side, while the 
enemy's cavalry in new formation stood in glittering lines 
awaiting the assault, and his artillery, stationed on every hill, 
with rapid flash and continuous roar belched forth a concen- 
trated flre on our advancing columns. Still, with undaunted 
firmness, the brigade moved forward — first at a walk, then 
quickening their pace to a trot: and then, as the space between 
the battle fronts rapidly shortened, the gallop was taken, and 
when scarce fifty paces intervened, the order to charge rang 
along our front. In an instant a thousand glittering sabers 
flashed in the sunlight, and from a thousand brave and confi- 
dent spirits arose a shout of defiance which, caught up by rank 
after rank, formed one vast, strong, full-volumed battle-cry, and 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 199 

every trooper rising in his stirrups leaned forward to meet the 
shock, and dashed headlong upon the foe. First came the 
dead, heavy crash of the meeting columns, and next the clash 
of saber, the rattle of pistol and carbine, mingled with frenzied 
imprecations; wild shrieks that followed the death blow; the 
demand to surrender and the appeal for mercy — forming the 
horrid din of battle. For a few brief moments the enemy stood 
and bravely fought, and hand to hand, face to face, raged the 
contest; but, quailing at length before the resistless force of our 
attack and shrinking from the savage ^leam and murderous 
stroke of our swift descending sabers, they at length broke and 
fled in confusion. We followed, and soon the whole plain for 
a mile in extent was covered with flying columns engaged in a 
general melee. This continued until the enemy came up with 
re-enforcements, when we withdrew and reformed. 

When the 1st Penn. Cavalry emerged from the woods at the 
opening of the action, it was formed about half a mile from the 
railroad and immediataly on the left and supporting our bat- 
tery. Scarcely lialf the regiment had gotten into position when 
the enemy opened at point-blank range from the Barbour 
house, hurling shot and shell into our ranks with great rapidity. 
We moved forward to storm the position, and capture the bat- 
tery. As we marched toward the smoking cannon, they saluted 
us with spherical case, then hurled grape and canister into 
our faces, but our line moved on, and would have taken the 
guns had it not been for an intervening ditch, which enabled 
the battery to move off before the regiment could cross. Once 
beyond the ditch, we formed ourselves at the foot or base of 
the heights under a heavy fire from the buildings surrounding 
the mansion, and half of the regiment, led by Colonel Taylor, 
of 1st Penn. Cavalry, moved on the house from the front, while 
the other half, with Lieutenant-Colonel Gardner at its head, 
swung around on its left and rear. Both wings dashing im- 
petuously forward, cleared the enemy from the intervening 
space, and held possession of the ground. Here occurred an 
incident which illustrates how utterly Southern chivalry de- 
tested the rough arguments of cold steel when wielded by 
Northern mechanics. Just as we were raising the hill on our 
charge, a bold and audacious rebel rode forward from their 
ranks and called out: "Put up your sabers! put up your sabers! 
Draw your pistols, and fight like gentlemen;" but the median- 



200 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



ics, farmers, and laborers of Pennsylvania placed too great 
confidence in their tried blades and the iron nerves of their 
right arms to accept his advice, and soon these kid-gloved 
gentry shrank from the weight of their sturdy strokes. 

Here we met the flower of Stuart's cavalry, composed of his 
own body-guard and White's celebrated battalion, and, though 
unaware at the time, we had stormed and carried his headquar- 
ters. This we learned from his adjutant-general, who was taken 
prisoner. 



KeIvIv kor His Country. 

BY T. W. PARSONS. 
DIRGE, FOR ONE WHO FELL IN BATTLE. 



[lOOM for a soldier ! Lay him in 

the clover ; 
''He loved the fields, and they shall 
be his cover ; 
Make his mound with hers who called 
him once her lover ; 
Where the rain may rain upon it, 
Where the sun may shine upon it, 
Whei'e the lamb hath lain upon it, 
And the bee will dine upon it. 

Bear him to no dismal tomb under city 

churches ; 
Take him to the fragrant fields, by the 

silver birches ; 
Where the whippoorwill shall mourn, 
where the oriole perches ; 
Make his mound with sunshine on it, 
Where the bee will dine upon it. 
Where the lamb hath lain upon it, 
And the rain will rain upon it. 

Busy as the busy bee, his rest should 

be the clover ; 
Gentle as the lamb was he, and the 

fern should be his cover ; 
Fern and rosemary shall grow my 

soldier's pillow over — 



Wliere the rain may rain upon it. 
Where the sun may shine upon it. 
Where the lamb hath lain upon it, 
And the bee will dine upon it. 

Sunshine in his heart, the rain would 

come full often 
Out of those tender eyes which ever- 
more did soften ; 
He never could look cold till we saw 
him in his coffin. 
Make his mound with sunshine on it 
Where the wind may sigh upon it. 
Where the moon may stream upon it 
And memory shall dream upon it. 

" Captain or colonel " — whatever invo- 
cation 
Suit our hymn the best, no matter for 

thy station — 
On thy grave the rain shall fall from 
the eyes of a mighty nation! 
Long as the sun doth shine upon it 
Shall glow the goodly pine upon it, 
Long as the stars do gleanr upon it 
Shall memory come to dream upon 
it. 



BRAGG IN KENTaCKY. 

INCIDENTS OF HIS MARCH THROUGH THE STATE. 

By B. B. RANDOLPH. 



j^IT was the latter part of the summer of 1862 that General 
(^ Bragg concentrated his army at and near Chattanooga, 
"^ Tenn., preparatory to his march into Kentucky. Shiloh 
had been fought, and the death of Sidney Johnston had caused 
the Confederates to fail of achieving a complete victory. The 
army of Bragg was the old Shiloh-Johnston army, recruited to 
a condition of splendid efficiency. Never were soldiers more 
enthusiastic, more thoroughly disciplined, or more eager for 
the fight. Cheerfulness and a magnificent ^''esprit du corps" 
pervaded the entire army. The Tennessee river was crossed, 
the lofty heights of "Waldron's Ridge" were ascended and 
descent made into the fertile valley of Sequatchie. On we 
marched, every one confident of in due time seeing the Ohio 
river and reveling in the delights of Louisville. The military 
bands struck up " Blue Bonnets over the Border " as we passed 
the Kentucky line. We were met along the march by citizens 
who sympathized with our cause. Many expressed the belief 
that the Federals would be unable to interpose any obstacle in 
Bragg's way, lead where it might. The army shared the same 
confident feeling. 

The writer was one of a party that had to remain several 
days in the town of Glasgow, Ky., after the army had passed. 
While there the rumor came that a force of Federal cavalry 
were nearing the town. All was hurry and confusion. 
Wagons were hastened off to the town of Munfordville, a 
dozen or more miles distant, where the army was. A major 
quartermaster, being the ranking officer present, got together 
all the men; brought out two small cannon, mounted on rickety 
wheels, more resembling buggy wheels than any other kind, 
hitched two horses to each and started out of the town on the 

(2U1) 



202 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



road the enemy were said to be approaching. The major com- 
manded the leading piece in person. Before starting he loaded 
his guns (in more ways than one). Judge of his chagrin when 
upon driving up a small hill out rolled powder and ball, fol- 
lowed by loud imprecations from the inajor and hearty laugh- 
ter from some artillerists that were along. With an oath about 
artillery not being his branch of the service, the major turned 
the gun over to some one else, saying that he would return to 
Glasgow and look after his papers. Arriving at the point 
for which we started we were joined by a battalion of cavalry, 
under Colonel Hagan, of Mobile, Ala., who assumed com- 
mand. It was soon ascertained that the alarm was false, 
whereupon we returned to Glasgow, finding that our major 
quartermaster had left in hot haste for the main army. 

Whilst in Glasgow the writer took meals with a lady of 
strong Union proclivities. She was peculiarly situated as re- 
garded her relation to the war. One of her sons was an officer 
with John Morgan, and another was with Federal cavalry, un- 
der General Hobson. One daughter had a husband with 
Morgan, and another daughter, sweet sixteen, was as rampant 
a little "reb" as a " gray -jacket " would wish to see. It was 
plain that the sentiment of the townsfolk was pretty evenly 
divided. In fact, I was told that the dwellers on one side of 
the main street were Unionists, and those on the other side 
Confederates. Our hostess treated us kindly and fed us well, 
though she said she hoped we should find our graves ere we 
left the State. I never thought the old lady was in real ear- 
nest. Be that as it may, the hope was not realized, for the three 
who partook of her hospitality are yet alive. 



Arming Slaves. 

TJP'HE first person in authority, in the 

Confederacy, to urge the arming of 

slaves was Governor Allen, of Louis- 



First Confederate Killed. 

■qpTIE first Confederate killed en a 
battle field was Henry L. Wyatt, 
of the 1st N, C. Regt., killed at Big 
Bethel. 




BATTLE OF CHAMPION HILLS. 

JUNE, 1868. 

GENERAL LOGAN'S ADVICE. . 




-fe-f 



&z^_^ 




eT 



C T the battle of Champion Hills, 
Miss., May 16, 1863, the 34th 
Ind. was sorely pressed by tlie 
rebels, and, after losing one- 
of the regiment in killed and 
wounded and being out of ammunition, 
were ordered to fall back. As this was 
our first fall back, many of the boys 
forgot and were falling back at will — 
some, in fact, were on the double-quiclc 
for the rear. While on the retreat we 
came across General Logan, who 
shouted that he had been wounded five 
times and had never turned his back to 
the foe yet. " What regiment is that ? " 
he asked ; and hearing that it was the 



31th Ind., he said that Indiana should 
not be disgraced and we must stop 
right there. Of course we stopped, 
and as our adjutant came riding up the 
general said, "Adjutant, get your men 
together." " General, the rebels are 
awful thick up there," replied the 

adjutant. " D n it, that's the place 

to kill them — where they are thick," 
shouted the general. The boys and 
the adjutant saw the point and said no 
more. While we were waiting irreso- 
lutely, some shoiits arose and we knew 
that the Johnnies had started for Vicks- 
burg. The general then left us for his 
command, which was on our right. 



GENERAL LOGAN AT FORT DONELSON. 



GENERAL LOGAN was severely 
wounded at Fort Donelson in 1862. 
At the hospital where his wounds 
were being dressed was a desperately 
wounded soldier, whose entire lower jaw 
had been shot away. General Logan 
observing this man at once directed 
the surgeon to leave him and attend to 

(20: 



the unfortunate soldier, which they did, 
thus, perhaps, saving his life. That sol- 
dier was Joseph F. Wilson, then a cor- 
poral in the 8th Illinois Regt., who 
afterwards attained the rank of major, 
and who now has a life position on the 
"soldiers' roll," House of Representa- 
tives, Washington. 
^) 



BATTLE AT FORT BUTLER. 

June 28, 1863. 

A LIVELY LITTLE BATTLE IW LOUISIANA, 

H. S. AUCHER, Sergeant Company H, 28th Maine. 



* i W • ^ VERY comrade who was in this sharp fight 

^^^^/|'l^-^^ vividly remembers that while the siege of 
mk^^MjM^M ^^^^ Hudson was in progress the rebels raided 
^H^^^^^'^^ the river banks from New Orleans up as close 
3^-^^ ^^^^ ^^ Port Hudson as they dared to go, and can- 
"^ nonaded the transports passing up and down. 

In May and June, 18G3, we were stationed in Fort Butler, at 
Donaldsonville, La. I was in charge of the fort, with Major 
Bullan of my regiment, as post commander. The rebels suc- 
ceeded in capturing Brashear City, when it began to look 
rather warm for us; for it appeared as if we would have to ac- 
cept rebel hospitality, as they had planted batteries above and 
below us on the river, and stopped the boats from going either 
way. The obstinacy with which Port Hudson held out encour- 
aged them to make an effort to scoop us in. On the morning of 
June 28 they appeared before the fort with a large force of 
Texas troops and six or seven batteries, and demanded our sur- 
render. We had been re-enforced by Captain Thompson, of 
our regiment, with his company (G) and some convalescents 
from the hospital, so that I think we numbered about one hun- 
dred and fifty men, with six thirty-two pounders and plenty of 
shot and shell. When we refused to lower our flag they made 
a fierce charge on us, but found that our few men were made 
of better material than they counted on. The battle raged all 
night with great fierceness. They got so near that they cut 
through our stockade, but whenever they forced themselves 
through the breach we captured all that got in and drove away 
the remainder. By morning we had more prisoners than there 

(204) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



205 



were men of us defending the fort. The rebel prisoners were 
naturally much enraged when daylight showed them how few 
of us had baffled their assaults all night. Soon glad tidings of 
relief came to us in the shape of a shell from the gunboat 
Winona, which screamed along the rebel lines and they hastily 
withdrew. 



A. TRIBUTK TO GRANT. 

By REV. HENRY WARD BEECHER. 



(T^iOHERE are some remarkable 
/ir^ things about General Grant. 
J\^^ No man ever heard him speak 

CJ* an. irreverent word. No man 
ever heard him even in the narration of 
a story, use profane language. Never 
on the battle field, never in those ex- 
igencies where men are provoked, did 
any man ever hear General Grant speak 
a word that was not in moderation 
and good faith. I believe that the es- 
sential elements of his character are 
based upon religion, and he is alto- 
gether a church-going man; he has 
always believed in it. 

See what a wonderful career he has 
had in the latter part of his life. His 
has been a hard life all the way 
through. His early life was not a pleas- 
ant one — I mean after he left West 
Point. I need not say anything about 
that great civil war, where he was the 
Atlas upon whose shoulders the nation 
rested. What toil ! If he had not 
had an iron constitution it would have 
broken him down. When he came out 
of it and went to the Presidency, for 
which he had never had any training, 
and where his mistakes lay in fidelity 
to friends, he showed a great mag- 
nanimity of character. He did not 



doubt friends easily. If he took hold 
of one, he stuck to him, and he was in 
that regard credulous. And so his 
credulity was abused. The mistakes 
of his administration lay at the door of 
the good qualities of the man. 

I have been with him a good deal, 
and T never heard him say a bad word 
about any human being. I never heard 
him utter a sentiment that might not 
become a judge sitting coolly and 
calmly on the bench. He came out 
from his public relations and entered 
into business, and then the storm came 
upon him. It struck him just where it 
was hardest to bear. It made him, as 
it were, the dei'ision of men for the 
time. And as he was in the war and 
in the Presidential chair, he opened not 
his mouth in detraction, not even in 
answer, but stood and bore whatever 
was laid upon him. In all his financial 
troubles never a murmuring word ! 
And then came disease, fateful disease, 
slowly undermining — going steadily 
down, down ; and not a murmur ! 
Sublime instance of fortitude and pa- 
tience ! I cannot help praying for him 
in my thoughts. My thoughts rise 
up round about the throne in his be- 
half. 



LiBBY Prison's Tunnel 



ROW SIXTY-ONE UNION SOLDIERS ESCAPED FROM THE FAMOUS DUNGEON. 



THRILLING NARRATIVE BY AN OFFICER. 



Wpf^ng Expepienees ©§ ^hr?eeynfer?feunatie Fugitives. 



FRANK E. MOEAN, Captain Company H, 73d New York Volunteers. 



"'HE bold plan of escaping from Libby by digging a tun- 




nel was conceived by Col. Thomas E. Rose, of the 77th 
Penn. Regt., in November, '63, and he was the, director 

^$^ and supervisor of this perilous work. He was a 
brainy, cool, and intrepid man, coined for just such a daring 
enterprise. 

At the time of the escape, there were not less tlian 1,000 
Union officers confined in Libby, and "Rose" selected from 
among them, fourteen men, sworn to secrecy, as the working 
party. Absolute secrecy was considered essential to success, 
as tlie Confederates frequently sent spies disguised as Union 
prisoners among us to get information of any contemplated es- 
cape. The work of the tunnelers occupied the greater part of 
four months, day and night; the implements used being a com- 
mon table knife, a broken trowel, and a small wooden spittoon, 
with a blanket rope attached. The dirt was hidden under straw 
in the east cellar, from which the hole, about two feet in diame- 
ter, began. The tunnel passing under the sentinel's feet 
crossed a vacant lot and terminated at the surface in a stable 
yard, about seventy feet outside the prison wall. 

The men were baffled in their first beginning by contact with 
a large rock and with foundation timbers. Again, it was at- 
tempted to effect an opening into the main sewer on the canal 

(206) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 207 

side of the prison ; but after a prodigious labor of many days 
and nights, water began to ooze in, finally coming with a rush 
that threatened to drown the four tunnelers and reveal the plot. 
After great efforts in plugging it, this tunnel was reluctantly 
given up — a severe misfortune, for this tunnel (so much more 
roomy than the one through which the escape was finally 
made) would have emptied the prison in three hours. 

The last and successful tunnel was dug several feet above 
the bed of the cellar in the east wall. To effect an opening 
through the thick foundation wall was a work worthy of the 
proverbial patience of beavers, considering the feeble imple- 
ments at hand. The tunnelers gained access to the cellar at 
night, by removing several bricks from the fireplace in the 
kitchen, and penetrating under the floor joists. These bricks 
were replaced when the working detail had descended, and all 
trace of the opening was removed by covering the replaced 
bricks by soot. At least two men were continually at the work, 
remaining until relieved the following night. The prisoners up- 
stairs were carefully counted twice each day by the Confeder- 
ates, and, to make the count appear correct, two of the working 
party, by an ingenious fraud, managed to be counted twice 
while the absentees were boring for life and liberty. 

I had been a prisoner in Libby for over six months and had 
mingled freely among my fellow captives in each of the rooms, 
yet so well had " Rose" and his party kept their secret, that it 
was not until I had lain down on the night of February 8, 18G4, 
that I learned of the existence of the tunnel. The startling in- 
formation was given me by my friend, Col. Aaron K. Dunkel, 
who slept beside me in the "Gettysburg room." It was after 
"taps"; the tallow dips had long since been extinguished and 
the floor of each of the larger rooms (100 feet by 45) were cov- 
ered by prostrate forms of hundreds of prisoners. I could see 
no evidence of an intended escape and half suspected my 
friend Dunkel of one of liis practical jokes, for which he had a 
deserved reputation in Libby. 

However, I sought Capt. W. H. H. Wilcox of the 10th N. Y. , 
whom I found equipped for a march. He told me the tunnel 
was reached through the kitchen and that some of tlie prison- 
ers had already gone out. He gladly assented to my proposal 
to attempt the escape together, and I made my toilet, which, 
owing to a scanty wardrobe, took less than a minute. Picking 



208 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

our way among sleeping comrades • stretched in hundreds upon 
the floor of the " Cliickamauga room," we descended the crazy 
stairway into the kitchen, which was dark and dismal as the 
grave. Reaching the bottom, we heard no sound save the 
familiar drip, drip, of the damaged water faucet. Formerly 
this room had been patrolled by sentinels, but as the floor was a 
perpetual puddle of dirty water and wholly untenable for sleep- 
ing purposes, the prisoners had entirely abandoned it for drier 
quarters and the guard had been withdrawn. 

Wilcox and I groped along the east wall, and, when ten feet 
from the front door, we ran suddenly against a silent and 
densely packed crowd of men around the fireplace. "Colonel 
Rose " was the first man to go out, closely followed by the 
working party, who having completed their work, placed the 
tunnel at the service of all. Then followed Colonel Streight, 
Captain Reed, and other officers of his brigade. In my anxiety, 
I was magnifying minutes into hours; there seemed no per- 
ceptible reduction of the crowd in front, while the crowd behind 
had increased by hundreds and were pressing us to suffoca- 
tion. The measured tread of the guard echoed on the sidewalk, 
within ten feet of where we were. Inquiries, as to the reason 
of the delay, were whispered from man to man; and fainting 
and weak men were begging for room and air. 

At last all movement ceased. "A fat man was stuck in the 
tunnel and could not get either way." This news sent a chill 
of unutterable disgust through the crowd; muttered curses 
were rained thick and fast upon the unlucky victim's stomach. 
Meanwhile, the sensations of the luckless fat man in his appall- 
ing situation may be faintly conjectured, but the reader must 
paint the picture. The bare thought of my fat comrade's har- 
rowing plight that night gives me a painful oppression of the 
heart. At last, the corpulent comrade, with forty feet yet to go, 
made a supreme struggle for life and reached the open air in 
the stable yard; and I rejoice to add that he was one of the 
happy sixty-one who reached the Union lines. The escape of our 
fat comrade was a deplorable loss to the Confederates. They 
had been pointing him out to distinguished visitors as a stu- 
pendous refutation of the damaging charges, that Union pris- 
oners were being reduced to skeletons. 

The way being reported clear, I was at last gratified to see 
that there were but three men ahead of me; pressing at my back, 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 209 

however, was a compact crowd of three hundred. Suddenly 
the muffled tread of feet was heard up stairs, and a voice 
shouted loud and shrill: "The guards, the guards!" Men 
bounded toward the unbanistered staircase like a herd of mad 
bisons. The stairs were ninety feet away, and, as the panic- 
stricken men struggled t(5wardsthe "Chickamauga room," they 
fell under foot by the dozen. At the first alarm I had been 
lifted from my feet and borne swiftly across the room. I was 
dashed against an upright pillar with great violence, and, 
falling in the water, a hundred men trampled me under their 
feet, bruising my shoulder and hand painfully. Capt. Willard 
Glazier was hurt in the same manner as myself. 

As soon as I recovered I arose to my feet, I realized that I 
was alone in the kitchen, and was grateful at not finding my- 
self surrounded by Confederate guards. All noise had ceased 
up stairs and I concluded that it was a false alarm. I crept 
cautiously to the front door and looked out. The lamps on the 
streets were shining brightly and a sentinel at that moment 
was looking toward the heavy door through which I was 
watching him. He was less than eight feet away and ap- 
peared at the moment to be looking straight into my eyes. 
I did not move, fearing to betray my presence by the slightest 
motion. 

The corporal of the guard approached and the sentinel, turn- 
ing to him, demanded why in h 1 he didn't get out the relief, 

and added, he reckoned the Yankees must have had a ration 
of apple-jack to-night, for they had been fighting and raising 
h 1 inside. 

I watched for the effect of this speech upon the corporal. He 
made no response whatever, but, lazily turning on his heel, 
slowly crossed the street and disappeared. My belief was con- 
firmed, that, notwithstanding the unearthly racket in the 
kitchen, the Confederates had no suspicion of our desperate 
game. I determined to lose no more precious time, for I had a 
long and dangerous road to travel before the morning count in 
Libby should reveal the number missing and put all Richmond 
on our track. 

I squeezed myself feet first through the narrow aperture in 
the fireplace, and through the chimney, into the east cellar, 
which was divided from the cellar containing the cells by a 
wall. These cells were at the front of the building and were 

14 



210 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

alternately used for the confinement of hostages, "troublesome 
prisoners," and Union spies under death sentence. They were 
floorless closets ten or twelve feet square. A small stream of 
light from a narrow grated window half sunken in the side- 
walk above stole into them a part of the day. They were 
guarded by special sentinels; were alive with enormous rats, 
and the air in them was sickening. From these dreadful cages 
many a brave fellow went forth to death. A wall divided this 
cell from the east cellar under the hospital room, and it was in 
the east wall of this cellar that the tunnel proper began. 

Finding the fragment of a blanket rope hanging from the 
top of the opening, I let my feet down, hoping to touch bot- 
tom, but found none, and I balanced myself for a fall, whither 
or to what depth I knew not, for it was a pit of rayless dark- 
ness. With a sort of faith in fortune I shut my eyes and teeth 
and let go. Thanks to thoughtful comrades I fell into a pile 
of straw, and, rolling over two or three times, found myself 
among hundreds of squealing rats. Before I could recover my 
equilibrium a score of the repulsive creatures ran over me. Com- 
plying with my instructions, I placed my back to the wall and 
waded knee deep toward the opposite wall, through the straw 
that covered the cellar. The place seemed alive with rats that 
squealed and thumped against my ankle at every step. 

At last I reached the wall and ran my hand along the cold 
damp surface, in search of the tunnel. I groped along until I 
reached the southeast corner, and, believing I must have passed 
the hole, I made my way back with increased anxiety and 
caution, I stopped a dozen times, to listen for some friendly 
token from comrades who had long preceded me, but no sound 
could be heard but the horrible chorus of rats. The thought of 
failure harassed me, as did the fear that I should be obliged to 
pass the night in the loathsome place. Great beads of perspira- 
tion came when I thought of being found by the guards in the 
morning, if indeed the rats did not long ere that battle for my 
remains. 

It paralyzed me to think that through my blundering the tun- 
nel would be discovered and that I should be loaded with the 
disgrace of having deprived hundreds of prisoners of their 
liberty. I thought I had surveyed an acre of wall and was on 
the border of despair, when, to my boundless joy, my hand fell 
upon a pair of heels. I knew they were live heels, for I had 



• BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 211 

no sooner touched them than they vanished like magic in the 
wall. 

" Who's there? '' said a voice, as if from the grave. 

"Moran," I answered, "from the Gettysburg room. Who 
are you? " 

"Charley Morgan," the sepulchral voice responded, "from 
the Chickamauga room. Are the rebs coming?'' 

"No, go ahead and make room for me," said I, and away 
went the heels, sending a shower of dirt into both my eyes. 

The hole had an average diameter of about two feet; at times 
descending and again rising. The earth was clammy cold and 
the air suffocating. My bruised shoulder got rough usage as I 
wedged myself forward. The hole grew narrower as I ad- 
vanced, and notwithstanding my slight form, I found myself 
more than once in the position of the fat man who had pre- 
ceded me. Morgan unhappily took a violent cramp in one of 
of his legs, and, to relieve his distress, I pulled off his shoe. 
This proved a somewhat troublesome charge, for, in order to 
save it for its owner, I had to push it ahead of me as I crawled 
onward. The length of the tunnel seemed interminable. I was 
gasping for breath and my shoulder was paining dreadfully. 

At last, fainting with suffocation, pain, and fatigue, a ray 
of light gladdened my eyes and I felt the welcome blessedness 
of fresh air, certainly the most delicious air I ever breathed in 
my life. Morgan gave me a friendly welcome, as I rose to the 
surface, and, having reached terra firma, I made a minute 
survey of my surroundings. 

I stood about seventy feet from the eastern wall of the prison 
and, looking through the dilapidated fence, saw the sentinels 
pacing their posts. By the light of the street lamps I could 
easily distinguish their features. An arched way, of sufficient 
width for the passage of wagons, led to the street on the south, 
next to and parallel with the canal. I noticed a third person 
in the yard, and Morgan, in a whisper, introduced Lieut. Will- 
iam Watson, of the 21st Wis. Regt. We decided to go down 
the street in an easterly direction, and meet at the second corner 
for consultation. We each removed our shoes that we might 
move noiselessly and also that we might run the swifter if 
challenged by the sentinels. 

Watson went first and was followed in about two minutes by 
Morgan. As they moved away, I watched the two nearest 



212 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

guards, who halted on their posts and gazed at the retreating 
forms of my friends. I resolved, should they show a sign of 
firing, to shout to my comrades and dash down the street after 
them. The guards appeared to have no suspicions, and, without 
any audible comment, resumed the pacing of their posts. Feel- 
ing this to be my opportunity, I leisurely followed in the wake 
of my friends. It would be difficult to convey a clear idea of 
the peculiar sensation I felt, when, after an imprisonment of 
over six months, I first found myself in the open air and drank 
in the first fragrant breath of liberty; and yet I felt a pang of 
regret as I turned to look at the grim walls of Libby, where I 
was leaving, perhaps forever, many of the most valued friends 
of my life. 

My feet stumbled over the uneven walk, as if I had just 
landed after a long sea voyage, and the cool February air had an 
intoxicating effect. I found my two friends at the appointed 
place. As I had served in McClellan's Peninsula campaign 
and was tolerably familiar with the topography of the vicinity, 
I was installed as guide and decided to attempt the passage of 
the breastworks on the north side of the city. We moved 
quickly, but with great caution, for we knew the streets to be 
thoroughly patrolled and that the provost guard compelled 
every one on the streets to exhibit the proper pass. 

In spite of care we found ourselves almost in the hands of the 
patrol several times, and twice came upon sentinels posted in 
front of military hospitals. After repeated narrow escapes we 
turned a corner, and, before we had a chance to exchange a 
word, a dozen Confederates, without arms, passed us without a 
challenge, or a visible suspicion that we were escaping Yankees. 
Grateful for our good fortune we moved rapidly forward. 
Dogs rushed at us from every house and set up a hideous howl, 
as if the whole tribe had conspired to betray us. We were soon 
in the northern outskirts of Richmond and no longer had the 
aid of the gas lamps. 

The ground was frozen and hilly. Dim lights appeared as 
we approached the breastworks. At times we came so near the 
sentinels that we could hear them conversing. Finally we 
reached the creek, too wide to jump and too deep and cold to 
ford, except as a last extremity. Following it eastward we 
found its southern landing unguarded, and, hoping the opposite 
landing was the same, we began a cautious crossing. I was in 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 213 

the advance and nearly over, when I heard a voice just ahead 
of me call out: — 

"Corporal of the guard! " 

We dropped upon our hands and knees and made a cautious 
retreat; expecting a shower of balls after us, but heard nothing 
but the confused hum of voices on the other side. 

At last we found the creek nearly spanned at a narrow bend 
by a fallen tree. We mounted the trunk and made a safe land- 
ing. We made our way over numberless rifle-pits, huge earth- 
works, tangled brush and fallen trees that would have proved 
a bloody path to an assaulting column. In front of the works, 
deep and impassable ditches ran, and a dozen times we came 
within an ace of walking into the hands of guards. Having 
passed the city limits and the line of works outside successfully, 
our spirits rose in spite of empty stomachs and shivering limbs. 
We carefully avoided the roads, believing that we should be 
less likely to encounter the guards. The first gray streaks of 
day were appearing in the East as we saw ahead a number of 
small fires, and as they seemed to be at uniform distance we 
concluded we had reached the outer line of pickets. 

We saw no advantage in going to the right or left, hence we 
made a hurried reconnoissance and voted to attempt a passage 
in our immediate front. We went forward to within one hun- 
dred yards of the nearest post and saw five armed Confederates 
round the fire while three more were grouped at the next one. 
Their faces were to the fire and their backs towards us. We 
dropped upon our hands and knees, and crept in single file, to- 
ward the center of the intervening space. In spots a low 
underbrush covered us, but most of the ground was nearly bare, 
and, as we crept along the frozen earth, the brittle brush 
snapped and cracked treacherously, while the blazing logs illu- 
minated our perilous way. At every sound of the snapping 
branches we looked anxiously on both sides, resolved, if chal- 
lenged, to take to our heels and run the gantlet. The Con- 
federates were laughing and talking, their faces turned to- 
wards the genial fire. 

Having passed the danger point, and well out of hearing, we 
rose to our feet, and giving three cheers (in pantomime), broke 
into a lively trot, with increasing hopes of success; for fortune 
thus far had singularly favored us. Sunrise found us several 
miles northeast of Mechanics ville. We had no means of know- 



214 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

ing how far we were from Union troops; and we were alike in 
doubt as to the number and whereabouts of any enemy in our 
front. Farm houses began to appear frequently, and knowing 
the danger of being once seen in a hostile community, we re- 
luctantly concluded it prudent to hide until night should return. 

Accordingly we entered a swamp which covered from six to 
eight acres, thickly grown with a low underbrush that afforded 
the best available concealment. Selecting a spot at the base of 
a large oak tree well carpeted with leaves, we stretched our 
exhausted limbs and soon shivered ourselves to sleep. I was 
transported by a sweet dream to my country's capital. I was 
at the White House, in a new suit of clothes, and had been spe- 
cially invited by Mr. Lincoln and his Cabinet to a gorgeous din- 
ner. The President was carving a huge turkey; Mr. Seward 
was uncorking the champagne, and General Grant was filling 
our pockets with fragrant bundles of his best cigars. 

I became suddenly conscious that some one had seized me by 
the hair with a savage grip. Morgan was butting my head 
violently against the big oak, exclaiming: "Damn it! stop 
snoring or you will have us all captured." Before I could 
realize the cause of my comrades' alarm, I heard a rustling 
among the bushes and in another minute a small dog bounded 
into our hiding place, gave a quick, sharp bark and disappeared. 
This naturally gave us alarm, and within a minute we heard 
voices approaching from the south. We were preparing to run, 
when a number of armed Confederates appeared. We dropped 
upon our faces in the thick underbrush, clinging to the desperate 
hope that we might escape their notice. The party, dog and 
all, passed within ten feet of where we lay and in another 
minute had disappeared. 

Was it possible that twenty men could pass so close and 
none of them see us? It seemed incredible. We were in a 
perilous situation and there was no time for parleying. I felt 
that we had been seen and believed that our only chance was a 
run for life. My two friends thought the chances of escaping 
twenty bullets too slim, and expressed the hope that we had 
escaped the notice of the Confederates. Our desperate situa- 
tion demanded decision, so I volunteered to follow the path 
taken by the armed party and reconnoiter; it being understood 
that if I fell into the hands of the Confederates I should give 
warning by a whistle. I felt that I could endure anything 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 215 

rather than suspense. I followed the Confederates to the bor- 
der of the open field. A small farm house stood at a distance 
of one thousand yards, but not a man was in sight. The sud- 
den disappearance of the party was to me significant, and I 
concluded that they were deploying so as to encompass the 
swamp and close in on us. I turned quickly, expecting to hear 
the whiz of a bullet from a concealed Confederate. I had taken 
less than a dozen steps when a long clear whistle was heard to 
my right, answered by another on the opposite side of the 
swamp. My two friends, mistaking these for my signals, 
bounded through the woods like startled deer, toward the south 
side. 

I stopped an instant and heard a dozen whistles, followed by 
the clear command of the Confederates, "Close in!" The 
thought of going back to Libby a captive was like a knell of 
death, and I resolved to take any chance short of actual sui- 
cide rather than be taken. ]>had heard no sound from the east 
of the swamp and I determined upon that as the point to run. 
I tore through the low bog, lost my left shoe in the treacherous 
mire, and to increase my speed took off the other and threw it 
away. I struck a path running eastward, and, without shoes, 
fairly flew over the ground. As I leaped to the ground from a 
fallen tree that crossed the path, a tall Confederate, who had 
not heard my swift and noiseless approach, sprang to his feet, 
leaving his carbine against the tree. He tripped and fell flat, 
uttering a " whoop" like a Comanche Indian. 

I leaped squarely over him almost into the arms of three 
other Confederates, who leveled their carbines at my head and 
commanded me to halt. The fallen man, recovering his gun 
and his wits, came savagely toward me, and amid the laughter 
of his companions, in a fog-horn voice, shouted, "Surrender!" 
I hoped my two comrades might meet a better fate, but they 
were soon in sight, attended by guards. The Confederates 
hunted up my shoes and treated us with considerable kindness. 
They fed us liberally from their haversacks, admitted that our 
discovery in the swamp was a great surprise to them, and 
added that we were outside of their lines. 

We were received at Libby with a smile of pleasant recogni- 
tion by the clerk of the prison. E. W. Ross ("Little Ross"). 
The commandant, Maj. Thomas P. Turner, was seated in the 
office with his feet lazily resting upon a chair. His back was 



316 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

towards us, and he was seemingly reading the Richmond En- 
quirer — a very transparent trick of the major's, as we gave 
him to understand, by our answers to the questions which Ross 
had been instructed to ask. Turner was lashed into fury by 
the ridicule rained upon him for this escape. Finding us de- 
termined to answer none of his questions, he called Sergt. 
George Stansell, and ordered him to lock us up in the spies' 
cell. 

As Stansell turned the key and bolted us in we found our- 
selves in a dark and horrible dungeon occupied by a single 
prisoner. This proved to be Captain Gates of the 33d Ohio 
Regt., who apologized for being glad to see us, as he said it 
was frightfully lonesome. Captain Gates was one of the tun- 
nelers and it is a singular fact that of the 109 who got out 
through the tunnel he was the only one retaken within the city 
limits. 

When the news of the escape reached General Winder, he 
was furious, and would not believe it until the prisoners had 
been counted for the third time. He placed the whole guard 
under arrest and locked the officers and men up in "Castle 
Thunder" pending an investigation. Curious crowds sur- 
rounded Libby daily, and particulars of the affair were eagerly 
sought. General Butler, learning of the escape, sent scouting 
parties in all directions to give aid to the fugitives. 

The recaptured officers each refused to answer questions, and 
at last the brutal Turner had thirty of us packed in a twelve foot 
square dungeon. The recapture of Colonel Rose, the brave 
engineer of the tunnel, caused the deepest regret, for all felt 
that he had bravely deserved his liberty. The tunnel was at 
last discovered through the incautious answer of a recaptured 
officer, who supposed that the Confederates already knew of it, 
and so we were released from our horrible confinement and 
restored to our former quarters. 

So ended the tunnel escape. Of the 109 who passed through 
the tunnel forty-eight were retaken and sixty-one reached the 
Union lines. Considering the meager resources of its daring 
constructors and the difficulties overcome, the Libby Prison 
tunnel takes rank among those achievements that put the 
highest test on human patience and endurance, while the story 
of the escape will always command a keen interest for students 
of our war. 



JULY 1, 2, 3, 1863. 

THE HILLS ROCK AND TREMBLE UNDER THE TERRIBLE TUMULT. 



The Air Full of Hissing, "Whizzing Missiles of Death. 



By CHAS. E. TROUTMAN, Lieutenant Company G, 12th N. J. Regiment. 







N the morning of July 1, the 3d Division, 2cl Corps, 
moved along the Taneytown road, filed into a field, 
and awaited developments. About one or two o'clock 
that afternoon the sound of artillery told us that our 
distant front had found the 
head of the bold invader. 
At sunset we were met by dis- 
mantled artillery, wounded 
men, and ambulances slowly 
winding to the rear with the 
dying. Upon each ambu- 
lance and each cap was seen 
the full moon or the crescent, 
showing that the 1st and 11th 
Corps had been at it. About 
dark, we filed into a meadow 
near Rock Creek, just in the 
rear of Round Top. All was 
excitement; the battle had gone against us; Reynolds was dead, 
and thus night fell on the evening of the first day. At dawn 
we moved up the Taneytown road, past General Meade's head- 
quarters, a two-roomed frame house, with sunflowers near the 
doorstep. Marching on we went up a gentle rise, in the rear of 
an orchard, on the crest overlooking the valley, the western edge 
of which was bounded by Seminary Ridge. There we remained 
during that long summer morning smoking and chatting, con- 

(217) 




218 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

jecturing as to the probable results of our next move. Two 
batteries were exchanging compliments with those of the 
enemy, whose shells plunged and tore up the sod around us. 

Toward evening a body of North Carolina sharpshooters en- 
sconced themselves in a house and barn midway between the 
lines, and rendered it unsafe to work the batteries on our right 
and left front. A battalion of the regiment to which I was 
attached was ordered to dislodge them, so down the slope we 
went — Col. Thomas A. Smyth, commanding the brigade, leading 
the way — until the Emmittsburg road was reached. Three 
cheers were given — a man fell dead for every cheer. Nothing 
daunted the battalion dashed over the intervening space of five 
hundred yards to where the enemy was concealed. Every 
minie that left that barn was distinctly heard from the muzzle 
of the rifle until it struck something. A captain of one of the 
companies running beside the writer was struck just above the 
right eye. It was zip, zip, all the way across the meadows. 
Over the fence we went, through the barnyard knee deep in 
manure, but not an enemy was to be seen. 

A constant shuffling above told us that the foe was still in 
possession, but so were we. It was certain death to charge up 
the ladder to the loft above, but at last a venturesome youth, 
whose curiosity exceeded his fear, climbed the ladder until his 
eyes were above the level of the upper floor. The sight satis- 
fied him, for with a shout he loosened his hold and came down 
among us, accompanied by three Confederates, who, in making 
a dash at him, had fallen through. I do not know how it hap- 
pened, but this fortunate capture seemed to be the signal for 
the surrender of the whole force above. A detail of ten or fif- 
teen men was then ordered to charge the house, as we were 
convinced that there was a body of sharpshooters there, too. 
We ran through the garden through lilac, rose, and raspberry 
bushes. The berries on the latter were temptingly hanging, but 
there was more serious business. A rattling, splitting sound, 
and the picket fence went down, and the remnant of us dashed 
into the kitchen door, where twelve men were captured. After 
capturing one more man — discovered in an old-fashioned cup- 
board — we heard the sound of the recall, and ran back over the 
meadow, under a live archway of shells. 

Early the next morning, the barn and house were burned by 
a detachment of the 14th Conn., under the orders of Colonel 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 219 

Smyth. The division was moved to the front, its left resting 
on Arnold's 1st R. I. Battery, its right on the left of the 1st 
Corps, that occupied the cemetery. The 71st or 72d Penn. had 
its right resting on the battery, leaving an interval between our 
extreme left and the 2d Division for the battery to play through. 
The right of the regiment to which I was attached rested at a 
small house and barn, which was used as the headquarters of 
General Hays, our division commander. In front was a low 
stone wall. The ground sloped gradually from about fifteen 
yards in our rear to the Emmittsburg pike, when the valley was 
apparently level for about six hundred yards. Then there was 
a gradual rise until it reached Seminary Ridge, top of which 
was crowned with a dense woody growth. Between us and the 
ridge were fields of ripening wheat and clover and growing 
corn, with fences intact; presenting such a picture as would 
delight the soul of an artist. 

The morning of the third was quiet — ominously so. Occa- 
sionally the sharp sputter of the skirmish fire would arouse our 
interest. We conversed in little groups, wandered about, or 
sat under the shade, for the day got to be excessively hot. At 
12.30 coffee was put to boiling, pipes were lighted, and the men ' 
were preparing to while away the afternoon as best they could. 
Just then, off to the enemy's left, a gun was heard. A second 
or two of anxious suspense followed, and immediately over our 
heads, close enough to feel the rush of air, flew a screaming 
shell. There was a chance to count five slowly, when about op- 
posite Round Top, came a "boom," followed by another, and 
then the earth began to shake. Away went coffee pots, haver- 
sacks, pipes, everything, and each man flattened himself against 
mother earth. One hundred and twenty-eight guns opened 
their black throats all along Seminary Ridge and hurled murder 
and sudden death at us; the hills fairly rocked and trembled; 
the air was filled with hurling, hissing, whizzing, rattling pro- 
jectiles. It seemed as if nothing could stand such a fire; aye, 
that the very soil itself would be swept from that crest. Order- 
lies dashed through the orchard to headquarters, crouching 
low over the saddle with shoulders drawn up, like men caught 
in a sudden hailstorm. Amid the unearthly clangor, and 
above it all, could be heard the clear voice of the command- 
ing officer of a battery to our left, unconcernedly giving his 
orders. 



220 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

This storm continued until about 4 p. m,, when the slackened 
fire betokened the approach of the terrible infantry lines. The 
smoke of the opposing guns had settled low in the valley, and 
our division was in the hush of expectancy. Then the sputter- 
ing fire along the skirmish line told us of an infantry advance. 
A gentle breeze rolled away the curtain and opened to our view 
a magnificent array; Pickett's Virginians and Pettigrew's North 
Carolinians were moving over the intervening valley in two 
compact lines of battle. Hays rode down the line, sternly bid- 
ding every man to keep hidden from view. One man, in his 
eagerness to watch the approaching enemy, rose to his feet. 
" Lie down!" roared Hays, "lie down like that man;" pointing 
to a figure at his feet. "That man is dead, general." " I wish 
you were; be quiet." Then turning to his orderly, the division 
color bearer, he spoke: "Orderly! when we are attacked I ex- 
pect to ride where danger is the thickest; do you think you will 
keep up with that fiag, even if I ride to hell?" Touching his 
cap visor, " With pleasure," said the orderly. "General, if you 
reach hell, just look out the window and you'll see the little blue 
trefoil fluttering behind you." On came the enemy, pecked by 
the little skirmish line retreating before it. The bugle now 
sounded the recall, and the skirmishers came dashing to our 
lines. Then Arnold's and other batteries opened with grape 
and canister upon the advancing line. Men were literally 
blown into the air, but the gaps were closed; no hurry, no 
wavering, but steadily moving onward, the movement eliciting 
admiration from those who were so soon to mow them down. 

When thirty yards distant general officers rode up and down 
the ranks, exhorting and inspiring our men. With a roar and 
a yell the enemy now rushed toward our position. Fences dis- 
appeared as if of pasteboard. There was silence in our divis- 
ion until the first line was just lapping the Emmittsburg road, 
when we heard the order, " Fi?'e!" A sheet of flame, a clash 
of musketry, and the first line melted. On came the second, 
not in line, but in isolated groups, intent upon reaching the 
crest. The shouts of combatants, surging lines, and roar of 
artillery made a picture that cannot be imagined, much less 
described. Color Sergeant Cheeseman, of Camden, N, J., at 
this supreme moment leaped over the stone wall, ran hurriedly 
almost to the Emmittsburg pike, and with a fearful blow of his 
fist felled the color bearer of one of the enemy's regiments, 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



221 



grasped his flag, and gayly trotted back to the lines, waving it 
over his head, and this amid the heavy musketry fire of both 
lines. Brave fellow! He sleeps in the Wilderness. Mortals 
could not stand the terrific fire that swept the valley. Pettigrew 
broke and ran, the line crumbled and gave way. Pickett's divis- 
ion swept on and had a hand-to-hand conflict with the 71st and 
v2d Penn, Regts. of the 2d Division, and then went reeling back 
over the valley into the woods, from which it had so buoyantly 
and gallantly emerged. 



GRANDEST CHARGE. 




C^*^HE grandest charge of the war is 
^^iZy, said by General Sheridan to have 
o^ been made by General Crook, at 
Fisher's Hill, September, 1864. 



KUN ON PICKET POST. 

BY A LEWISTON (MAINE) MEMBER OF THE G. A. R. 



pHEN I was in the service, we used 
to tuck it pretty hard to the raw 
recruits, sometimes. I remember 
one fellow in particular, who 
joined our regiment when we 
were in Virginia. He was a raw-boned 
fellow, who had come to the war to gain 
a big commissioTi in the army. He was 
about as green a chap in military 
affairs as I ever saw. This recruit was 
always talking about how he wanted us 
boys to teach him all the ins and outs 
of a soldier's life. He had heard a 
good deal about picket post duty, and 
was awfully concerned lest he would 
bring up wanting in this capacity. 

Most of the boys found out, by what 
the raw recruit said about it, that his 



idea of picket post duty was being able 
to balance one's self on a picket post. 
So one day we knocked a picket off an 
old fence, stuck it in the ground, and 
told him to stand up on it and practice 
balancing awhile. Every man in the 
regiment kept his face as sober as a 
judge, and the recruit worked aw-ay try- 
ing to balance himself on that picket 
post till he was all worn out. The 
captain of my company came up about 
dusk and saw what we were doing with 
the poor fellow, gave us all a good 
blowing up, and comforted tlie recruit 
as best he could. Ever after that time 
that fellow went by the name of the 
Picket Post. But he was a brave sol- 
dier, and won a captain's laurels. 



With* Kershaw L at « Gettysburg. 



JULYS, ^M 1863. 

A Desperate Contest.— Confederates ^hU Win and Lose Little Round Top. 



By W^. T. SHUIVEATE. 




>E broke camp near Fredericksburg, in June, 1863. 
Our march was through the towns of Culpeper, Win- 
chester, Martinsburg, and Chambersburg, and at the 
«*• latter place we took a much needed rest of two or 
three days. 

On the morning of the 1st of July we started in the direction 
of Gettysburg, arriving near the battle field about dawn of the 
second, and halted in a clover field. After a short time we were 
ordered into line, and with beating hearts moved in the direc- 
tion of the enemy, thinking that we would soon be engaged in 
mortal combat. From some unexplained cause Kershaw's brig- 
ade was maneuvering near the Federal lines, until late in the 
afternoon. Just before sunset we were ordered to form line of 
battle on a slight eminence, in full view of Round Top, and 
also of the hills or ridge in the direction of Cemetery Hill, now 
occupied by Federal infantry. A level plain of half a mile or 
more was in our front, and near a peach orchard some eight 
hundred yards distant from our lines a battery was planted, 
commanding every foot of our advance. 

General Longstreet and his aids were in our front, scanning 
the strong and almost impregnable position of General Meade. 
The battery opened upon him, but the "old war horse" never 
flinched or changed his position until through with his observa- 
tions, when, shutting up his glass, and walking to the rear, he 
ordered Hood's brigade, on our immediate right, to advance. 
With a yell, the Texans rushed forward, sweeping everything 
before them, until they seemed to have reached the summit of 

(222) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 223 

Little Round Top, when, for the want of support, they were 
compelled to retire. It has been years since I heard that yell, 
yet it seems to be now ringing in my ears. 

Kershaw's brigade moved over the level field in front of the 
battery near the orchard in perfect order, while grape and can- 
ister went crashing through the ranks. It seemed that none 
could escape. My face was fanned time and again by the 
deadly missiles. 

We arrived within one hundred yards of the battery with- 
out having fired a shot. The artillerists were limbering up 
their pieces to seemingly retire, for in a few minutes they 
would have been in our possession. At this particular minute 
we heard in a clear, ringing tone, above the din of conflict the 
command, "By the right flank!" True to our sense of duty 
we obeyed the command. Why it was given or by whom, the 
private soldiers and company officers could never learn. The 
artillerists, seeing our change of directions, returned to their 
guns and poured destruction into our fast thinning ranks. 

The adjutant of my regiment was by my side when he was 
struck on the foot with a grape or canister shot, and painfully 
but not dangerously wounded. Wishing to render him what 
aid I could, I asked what I could do for him. He said: " Please 
cut off my boot." I immediately complied with his request, 
cutting it from top to toe. He took one swift, eager look at the 
battery, turned his back to the foe, and made the best time on 
record, until he reached a place of safety. I can see him run- 
ning now, with one foot naked, bleeding, and mangled, and the 
other encased in a long cavalry boot. The gallant fellow sur- 
vived the war and has since been honored with public office. I 
have met him once only and when jestingly reminded of the 
great speed he made through the oat field, he did not seem to 
relish it. The battery of which I have been writing was after- 
ward captured by Barksdale's Miss, brigade, which was on our 
immediate left. Our troops were severely punished however. 
Night put an end to the conflict, smd when my regiment was 
reformed but a handful of men answered to their names at roll 
call. We bivouacked on the battle field and expected an early 
attack from the enemy, but no advance was made by either 
side until Pickett's tremendous assault and awful loss on the 
afternoon of the 3d. 



2-34 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



UivRic Dahloren. 



A TRIBUTK TO A BRAVE OKKICER. 

REV. CHAS. W. DENISON. 



'E met at Harper's Ferry, in the 
gorges of the hills, 
'A'(n Where, chasing the Potomac, 
come leaping down the rills ; 
We stood in Union armor by Shenan- 
doah's tide. 
And ready for the battle ; Sigel was by 

our side. 
The frowning Heights of Maryland, 

with waving plumes of gray. 
Through the autumnal twilight bade 

grand adieus that day ; 
The table rock of Jefferson gloamed in 

the darkness there, 
And the spirits of the patriot seemed 
hovering in the air. 

O, scene of desolation ! The guilt and 
woe and shame 

Of slavery in rebellion had burnt the 
land with flame ; 

The sleep of Justice wakened by Mon- 
ticello's grave. 

And in conflict with the master she 
sided with the slave. 

In that historic temple where Wash- 
ington had stood, 

Before the shattered altars in old Vir- 
ginia's wood, 

Young Dahlgren raised his sworded 
hand and sacredly he vowed, 

" ]\Iy country's banner shall prevail, or 
be my winding shroud." 

So spoke the boy that evening ; then 

dashed along the right. 
And in the name of Freedom put 

slavish hordes to flight ; 



At Fredericksburg embattled, he strode 

the crimson field. 
His watchword of the column, " To 

traitors never yield ! " 
Through the dark haze of Gettysburg 

he flashed a living flame. 
And on the scroll of heroes wrote his 

own immortal name; 
With the torn flag of Hagerstown his 

body shrouded round. 
He fought oppression's myrmidons 

stretched bleeding on the ground ; 
Then, torn and maimed and weak, he 

' rose as valiant as of yore ; 
He was of age that day of grace — he 

was a man before. 



O manful boy ! O youthful peer ! O 

Ulric, the brave ! 
The proudest of thy patriot deeds shall 

monument thy grave ; 
Around thy hidden sod at night the 

grateful slave shall cling, 
And in fond tones through Libby's 

cells thy requiem shall ring. 
Almost alone, without the trump and 

blazonry of war, 
In darkness, hand to hand with death, 

thou wert death's conqueror. 
Above that spot our flag will float, but 

not thy shroud ; 'twill be 
The pennon call to avenge thy fall 

borne over land and sea; 
With Winthrop and with Lyon, with 

Foote and Shaw art thou. 
And Dahlgren shines with them hence- 
forth on Freedom's starry brow. 



THIRD DAY AT. GETTYSBURG. 

General Pickett's Brave Charge and Repulse. 

JULY 8, 1863. 
WILLIAM MILLER OWEN, Colonel Battalion Washington Artillery. 





T daybreak, the 3d of July, 180.3, we were awakened 
in front of Gettysburg by the booming of cannon over 
toward the peach orchard, where Longstreet's corps 
had fought on the afternoon of the 3d. Saddling our 
horses we rode in the direction of 
the firing, which ceased before we 
reached the battery engaged. I was 
acting on that memorable day as 
adjutant of the artillery division of 
Longstreet's corps, under Col, J. B. 
Walton, chief of artillery. 

We were with the artillery officers, 
sitting upon our horses, in a little oak 
grove near the peach orchard, await- 
ing the opening of the fray, when a 
courier rode up and handed Colonel Walton a dispatch. It was 
from General Longstreet, requesting Colonel Walton to come 
to headquarters on the field. We put our horses to a gallop, 
and when we reached the spot indicated, met there several 
division commanders and Gen. R. E. Lee. 

A plan of attack was being discussed. At a given signal — 
the firing of two guns by the Washington Artillery at the 
peach orchard — all the Confederate guns were to open upon the 
enemy's position, to prepare the way for our infantry to attack. 
The assaulting column was to consist of Pickett's division, sup- 
ported left by Heth's division of A, P. Hill's corps, and right by 
Wilcox's division. 

15 (225) 




226 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

I was directed to notify the commanders of battalions to open 
fire upon hearing the signal. Upon my return to General Long- 
street I found him dismounted and talking with General Pickett. 
The general said: "All right; tell Colonel Walton I will send 
him word when to open." 

At 1.30 P.M. a courier dashed up in great haste, holding a 
little slip of paper, torn from a memorandum book, and 
addressed to Colonel Walton. 

Headquarters, July 3, 1863. 
Colonel — Let the batteries open. Order great care and precision in firing. 
If the batteries at the peach orchard cannot be used against the point we intend 
attacking, let them open on the enemy on the rocky hill. 

Most respectfully, J. Longstreet, 

Lieutenant-General Commanding. 

The order to fire the signal guns was immediately communi- 
cated to Major Eshleman, commanding the Washington Artil- 
lery, and the report of the guns rang out upon the still summer 
air. Then came a roar' and a flash, and 138 pieces of Confed- 
erate artillery opened upon the enemy's position. The deadly 
work began with the noise of heaviest thunder, echoing and 
re-echoing among the hills and valleys of Pennsylvania. 

The Federal artillery, numbering almost as many guns as the 
Confederate, replied immediately, and the battle of the 3d of 
July had opened. Shot and shell tore through the air and 
plowed great furrows in the fields, and crashed through 
batteries, tearing men and horses to pieces. It was a grand but 
terrific sight. 

For forty minutes the dreadful din continued, until the can- 
noneers, exhausted with their work, and fainting from the heat 
of that July day, slackened the fire, and finally hardly a gun 
was heard from either combatants. Then Pickett's brave Vir- 
^nians formed for the assault, their gallant commander rid- 
ing up and down his lines, talking calmly to officers and men. 
Longstreet could not bear to give the order to throw these 
men against the breastworks of the enemy, and when at last 
Pickett said, "Shall I go forward, sir?" Longstreet turned 
away his head. Pickett, proudly and impetuously said, with the 
air of an old crusader, " Sir, I shall lead my division forward." 

Orders from the officers now rang out, " Attention! " and the 
brave fellows could be heard calling out to friends and com- 
rades a few files from them, " Good-by, boys! good-by!" The 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 227 

final order came from Pickett himself, who, superbly 
momited, seemed the very incarnation of war. '• Column for- 
ward! guide center! " and the brigades of Kemper, Armistead, 
and Garnett moved forward in common time, their battle 
flags fluttering as they passed over the greensward. It was 
nearly a mile they had to charge, and the enemy's artillery 
made great gaps in the ranks, which were closed up as fast as 
made. 

Heth's division, under General Pettigrew, emerged from the 
timber, and followed Pickett on his left flank and in echelon. 
Wilcox moved out upon his right. Pickett's lines were seen to 
halt, and under a tremendous fire he changed direction by an 
oblique movement, beautifully, coolly, and deliberately made. 
They then advanced again and the Confederate artillery re- 
opened, firing over the heads of the advancing lines. 

Forward the brave Virginians went until they were within 
range of the Federal infantry behind the stone walls on Ceme- 
tery Hill. Then the blue line arose, and poured a deadly fire 
into the Confederate ranks. The Confederates responded with 
a wild yell and pushed on unfalteringly. A body of Federals 
were seen emerging from a clump of trees on the left of Petti- 
grew. Taken by surprise they faltered, and fell back, as the 
best troops will do when taken at a disadvantage. 

Pickett's men had crossed the Federal lines and had laid their 
hands upon eleven of the enemy's cannon, and were in the full 
flush of victory, when news came to Pickett, conveyed by 
Colonel Latrobe of Longstreet's staff, of the disaster that had 
befallen his supports. He galloped back to try and rally the 
fugitives, but they could not form under that storm. Finding 
himself unsupported, each of his flanks assailed, his generals, 
Kemper, Armistead, and Garnett. and all of his field officers 
killed or wounded, his men falling by scores around him, he 
gave his orders to fall back, 

''Wagram"had been eclipsed, and they had won undying 
renown. Whenever Gettysburg is spoken off, by friend or foe, 
the charge of Pickett and his men will be recalled with the 
same pride Englishmen feel when speaking of Balaklava. 



228 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES, 

All Quiet Along the Potomac To-Night. 



<' M, LL quiet along the Potomac to- The moon seems to shine as brightly 

night," as when 

Except here and there a stray That night when the love yet un- 

ic)'^ picket spoken 

Is shot, as he walks on his beat, to and Leaped up to his lips, and when low 

fro, murmured vows 

By a rifleman hid in the thicket. Were pledged to be ever unbroken, 

'Tis nothing; a private or two now and Then drawing his sleeve roughly over 

then 1"« ey«« 

Will not count in the news of the "^ "^^^^^^^ ""^ ^he tears that are 

battle; ^elhng, 

Not an officer lost, only one of the men, ^nd gathers his gun close up to his 

Moaning out all alone the death rat- breast 

|.jg As if to keep down the heart's swell- 
ing, 

" All quiet along the Potomac to-night," ,, . i r j. • xr, vi i. j • 

-,,,., ^ ., , ,. ,. * ,' He passes the fountam, the blasted pine 
Where the soldiers he peacefully 



dreaming. 
And their tents in the rays of the clear 
autumn moon 



tree. 

And his footstep is lagging and 

weary, 

. , , ... . , „ Yet onward he goes, through the broad 

And the light oi the camp-fires are , ,, ^ ,- , . 

.° '■ belt of light, 

° "* Towards the shades o£ the forest so 

dreary. 
There's only the sound of the lone sen- 
try's tread jla^ij i ^as it the night wind that 
As he tramps from the rock to the rustles the leaves? 

fountain, -^Y^j^g j^; ^j^g moonlight so wondrously 

And thinks of the two on the low flashing? 

trundle-bed ^ jt loo]^^^ Hke a rifle, "Ha, Mary, 

Far away in the cot on the mountain, sood-bv " 

And his life blood is ebbing and 

His musket falls slack; his face, dark plashing, 
and grim, 

Grows gentle with memories tender, "All quiet along the Potomac to-night." 

As he mutters a prayer for the chil- No sound save the rush of the river, 

dren asleep. While soft falls the dew on the face of 

And their mother — " may heaven de- the dead, 

fend her," The picket's off duty forever. 




Quotations from His Speeches and Conversations. 

His Opinions of Generals and Great Events. 



The Man's Common Sense and Modesty Illustrated. 

(THIRTY-EIGHT PARAGRAPHS.) 



During the public career of this illustrious man, and ichile on his tour around the 
world {such a journey no man of this generation can hope to parallel), he gave utter- 
ance to many expressions that ivill live for centuries. Here are a feio of the promi- 
nent ones. 



ET us have peace. — First inaugu- 
i'^ ral address. 

I voted for Buchanan because 
I knew Fremont. — Interview. 



If I can mount a horse I can ride 
him, and all the attendants can do is to 
keep away. — Private conversation. 



I never had time. — To an officer ask- 
ing if he ever felt fear on the battle f eld. 



All of it. I should like to live all of 
my life over again. There isn't any 
part of it I should want to leave out. — 
Conversation, but before he met F. Ward. 



I propose to fight it out on this line 
if it takes all summer. — In the JVilder- 
ness, 1864. 

The young men of the country have 
a peculiar interest in maintaining the 
national honor. — First inaugural. 



Labor disgraces no man ; unfortu- 
nately, you occasionally find men dis- 
grace labor. — To Midland Internationcd 
Arbitration Union, Birmingham, Eng. 



When wars do come, they fall upon 
the many, the producing class, who are 
the sufferers. — Newcastle speech. 



Although a soldier by profession, I 
have never felt any sort of fondness for 
war, and I have never advocated it ex- 
cept as a means of peace. — Speech at 
London. 



(229) 



330 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



The battle of Lookout Mountain is 
one of the romances of the war. There 
was no such battle, nor any action 
there worthy to be called a battle. It 
is all poetry. — Conversation. 



No terms other than unconditional and 
immediate surrender can be accepted. 
I propose to move immediately on your 
works. — Message to General Buckner at 
Fort Donelson, 18(32. 



I long to see a period of repose in 
our politics that would make it a mat- 
ter of indifference to patriotic men 
which party is in power. I never re- 
moved men from office because they 
were Democrats. I never thought of 
such a thine;. — Conversation. 



Leave the matter of religion to the 
family altar, the church and the private 
school, supported entirely by private 
contributions. Keep the church and 
state for ever separate. — Des Moines 
speech, 1875. 



I don't believe in strategy in the 
popular understanding of the term. I 
use it to get up just as close to the 
enemy as practicable with as little loss 
of life as possible. Then, up guards, 
and at 'em. — In conversation. 



I am a soldier, and, as you know, a 
soldier must die. I have been Presi- 
dent, but we know that the term of 
presidency expires ; and when it has 
expired he is no more than a dead 
soldier. — To the mayor of Liverpool. 



I regard Sheridan as not only one of 
the great soldiers of the war, but one 
of the great soldiers of the world — a 
man fit for the highest commands. No 
better general ever lived than Sheridan. 
— Talk with Bismarck, 1877. 



Butler as a general was full of enter- 
prise and resources, and was a brave 
man. * * * Butler is a man it is a 
fashion to abuse, but he is a man who 
has done the country great service and 
is worthy of its gratitude. — In a conver- 
sation. 

I appreciate the fact, and am proud 
of it, that the attentions I am receiv- 
ing are intended more for our counti-y 
than for me personally. — Letter from 
London to G. W. Childs, June, 1877. 



I yield to no one in my admiration 
of Thomas. He was one of the finest 
characters of the war. lie was slow 
and cautious. We differed about the 
Nashville campaign, but the success of 
his campaign will be his vindication 
against my criticisms. — A conversation. 



It has been my misfortune to be en- 
gaged in more battles than any other 
general on the other side of the Atlan- 
tic ; but there was never a time during 
my command when I would not have 
chosen some settlement by reason 
rather than the sword. — A conversation. 



The one thing I never want to see 
again is a military parade. When I 
resigned from the army and went to a 
farm I was happy. When the rebel- 
lion came I returned to the service be- 
cause it was a duty. I had no thought 
of rank ; all I did was to try and make 
myself useful. — In conversation with the 
Duke of Cambridge. 



I never held a council of war in my 
life. I heard what men had to say — 
the stream of talk at headquarters — 
but I made up my own mind, and from 
my written ordei's my staff got their first 
knowledge of what was to be done. No 
living man knew of plans until they were 
matured and decided. — Conversation. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



231 



As a commander of troops, as a man 
capable of doing all that is possible 
with any number of men, there is no 
man living greater than Sheridan. I 
rank him with Napoleon and the great 
captains of history. He had a mag- 
netic quality of swaying men which I 
wish I had. — Talk with J. R. Young. 



The most troublesome men in public 
life are those over-righteous people who 
see no motives in other people's actions 
but evil motives ; who believe all public 
life is corrupt and nothing is well done 
unless they do it themselves. — Speaking 
of advocates of reform. 



There are many men who would 
have done better than I did under the 
circumstances in which I found myself. 
If I had never held command; if I had 
fallen, there were 10,000 behind who 
would have followed the contest to the 
end and never surrendered the Union. 
— Conversation. 



I believe that my friend Sherman 
could have taken my place as a soldier 
as well as I could, and the same will 
apply to Sheridan. And I believe that 
if our country ever comes into trial 
again, young men will spring up equal 
to the occasion, and if one fails there 
will be another to take his place, just 
as there was if I had failed. — Philadel- 
phia speech, 1877. 



Speaking of the great men I have 
met in Europe, I regard Bismarck and 
Gambetta as the greatest. I saw a 
good deal of Bismarck, and had long 
talks with him. He impresses you as 
a great man. Gambetta also greatly 
impressed me. I was much pleased 
with the republican leaders in France. 
— Conversation. 



Lincoln was incontestably the gi-eat- 
est man I ever knew. What marked 
him was his sincerity, his kindness, his 
clear insight into affairs, his firm will, 
and clear policy. I always found him 
preeminently a clean-minded man. The 
darkest day of my life was that of 
Lincoln's assassination. — Conversation. 



I do not want to detract from other 
civilizations, but I believe that we 
[English-speaking people] possess the 
highest civilization. There is the 
strongest bond of union between the 
English-speaking people, and that bond 
should and will serve to extend the 
greatest good to the greatest number. 
That will always be my delight. — 
Speech at banquet at Newcastle, Eng. 



I always had an aversion to Napoleon 
and the whole family. When I was in 
Denmark, I declined seeing the prince 
imperial. I did not wish to see him. 
The first Emperor had great genius, 
but was one of the most selfish and 
cruel men in history. I see no redeem- 
ing trait in his character. The third 
Napoleon was even worse, the especial 
enemy of America and of liberty. — 
Conversation. 



I never liked service in the army. I 
did not wish to go to West Point. My 
father had to use his authority to make 
me go. I never went into a battle 
willingly or with enthusiasm. I never 
want to command another army. It 
was only after Donelson that I began 
to see how important was the work 
that Providence devolved upon me. I 
did not want to be made lieutenant- 
general. I did not want the presi- 
dency, and have never quite forgiven 
myself for resigning the command of 
the army to accept it. — Conversation. 



232 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



We will not deny to any of those who 
fought against us any privileges under 
the government which we claim for 
ourselves ; on the contrary, we welcome 
all such who come forward in good 
faith to help build up the waste places 
and to perpetuate our institutions 
against all enemies, as brothers in full 
interest with us in a common heritage ; 
but we are not prepared to apologize 
for the part we took in the war. — 
Speech at Des Moines, 1875. 



Stonewall Jackson was a courageous, 
energetic, deeply religious man, and a 
fine soldier, but it is questionable 
whether his great reputation is justified 
by his campaigns in Virginia. He had 
very commonplace men to deal with. 
If he had met Sheridan, and had tried 
on him, or on any of our great genei'- 
als, the tactics which he attempted suc- 
cessfully on inferior captains, he would 
have been beaten and destroyed. — A 
conversation. 



My advice to Sunday-schools, no mat- 
ter what their denomination, is : Hold 
fast to the Bible as the sheet-anchor of 
your liberties ; write its precepts in 
your hearts, and practice them in your 
lives. To the influence of this book we 
are indebted for all the progress made 
in true civilization, and to this we must 
look as our guide in the future. 
" Righteousness exalteth a nation ; but 
sin is a reproach to any people." — To 
Sunday-school children, June, 1876. 



I believe Porter to be as great an 
admii-al as Lord Nelson. He was 
always ready for every emergency and 
every responsibility. The country has 
never done him the justice that history 
will do him. He has undoubted cour- 
age and genius. * * * It would 
have been a great thing for Porter if 
he had never been able to read and 
write. — Conversation. 



I tried hard to be friendly with 
Greeley, and went out of my way to 
court him ; but, somehow, we never be- 
came cordial. He had strange notions 
about the kind of men who should 
take office. He seemed to believe that, 
when a man was a helpless creature, a 
burden to his friends and drifting be- 
tween the jail and the poorhouse, he 
should have an office. — From an inter- 



I am conscientiously, and have been 
from the beginning, an advocate of 
wliat the society represented by you is 
trying to carry out, and nothing would 
afford me greater happiness than to 
know that, as I believe will be the case, 
at some future day, the nations of the' 
earth will agree upon some sort of con- 
gress, which will take cognizance of 
international questions of difficulty, and 
whose decisions will be as binding as 
the decisions of our Supreme Court are 
upon us. It is a dream of mine that 
some such solution may be. — To Arbitra- 
tion Union, Birmingham. 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



233 




THK ADVANCB OUARE). 

BY JOHN HAY. 




IN the dream of the Northern poets, 
The brave who in battle die 
^ Fight on in shadowy phalanx 

In the field of the upper sky ; 
And as we read the sounding rhyme 

The reverent fancy heai'S 
The ghostly ring of the viewless swords 
And the clash of the spectral spears. 

We think with imperious questionings 

Of the brothers that we have lost, 
And we strive to track in death's mys- 
tery 

The flight of each valiant ghost. 
The northern myth comes back to us, 

And we feel through our sorrow's 
night 
That those young souls are striving still 

Somewhere for the truth and light. 

It was not their time for rest and sleep ; 

Their hearts beat high and strong ; 
In their fresh veins the blood of youth 

Was singing its hot, sweet song. 
The open heaven bent over them, 

Mid flowers their lithe feet trod ; 
Their lives lay vivid in light, and blest 

By the smiles of women and God. 

Again they come ! Again T hear 
The tread of the goodly band, 

I know that flash of Ellsworth's eye 
And the grasp of his hard, warm 
hand ; 

And Putnam, and Shaw, of the lion heart. 
And an eye like a Boston girl's. 



And I see the light of heaven which 
shone 
On Ulric Dahlgren's curls. 

There is no power in the gloom of hell 

To quench those spirits' fire, 
There is no charm in the bliss of heaven 

To bid them not aspire ; 
But somewhere in the eternal plan 

That strength, that life survive. 
And like the files on Lookout's crest. 

Above Death's clouds they strive. 

A chosen corps — they are marching on 

In a wider field than ours ; 
Those bright battalions still fulfill 

The scheme of the heavenly power; 
And high, brave thouglits float down 
to us 

The echoes of that far fight. 
Like the flash of a distant picket's guns 

Through the shades of the severing 
night. 

No fear of them ! In our lower field 

Let us toil with arms unstained, 
That at last we be worthy to stand 
with them 
On the shining heights they've gained. 
We shall meet and greet in closing- 
ranks. 
In Time's declining sun. 
When the buglers of God shall sound 
recall, 
And the battle of life be won ! 



S^^ 



LIGHTS AND SHADOWS 
Of « THE * Battle * Field 



SOLDIERS aNDER TIRE. 



BY A VETERAN. 




)6]|EIIY little fun was to be found in the ranks when the 
^ y-^/n army was arrayed in line of battle. Everybody was 
•^'^s/CS) serious. Orders were given in a quiet tone and obeyed 
with celerity and in perfect silence. Here the private was 
of more importance than an officer, for on his courage and 
coolness rested the issue of the struggle. If the men in the 
ranks stood fast and used their weapons with effect, a victory 
would be won ; if they failed to hold their ground, all was lost. 
The officers could only direct ; the men were to execute. There 
was a feeling among officers and men that in the presence of 
an enemy they stood on a common plane as to danger. The 
bullets and shells screaming and shrieking in mid-air paid no 
heed to rank. One of the most trying experiences for a soldier 
is a moving of the line during a battle. The men have been 
fighting all the morning, only to find the fire of the enemy 
slackening and finally ceasing altogether. Skirmishers are 
thrown out and word comes that the enemy has fallen back. 
Orders are issued to move forward in line. Slowly, steadily, 
the several brigades follow their skirmish line over the fields, 
through woods, and across ravines and ditches, until at length 
the men catch a glimpse of the enemy's new line. "Halt!" 
comes ringing down the line, and as the men obey, they peer 
curiously at their adversaries, knowing well that the next 
minute will bring them into mortal combat. Silent and 

(23i) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 235 

thoughtfully the soldiers lean on their rifles, their faces black- 
ened with powder or bleeding from some slight wound which a 
veteran never heeds. They feel no desire to go forward, but are 
willing to do so if the general so orders. Each man knows that 
if an advance is made some of them will fall, and he cannot 
shake off the feeling that perhaps his turn may come to 
join the silent majority. Look down the line, and many a 
face which has been the life and soul of the camp is now 
serious; for, as the veteran gazes at the bodies scattered 
upon the field, he realizes the possibilities of the occasion. 
Suddenly the bugles utter their shrill notes and the silent line 
moves forward. Batteries behind open fire, and under cover of 
these the advance continues. They come within musket range, 
and the enemy greets them with a blinding volley of musketry. 
Men fall dead and wounded in every direction, the survivors 
coolly closing up the ranks and leaving them behind. The next 
moment they make a rush to seize the position. The musketry 
grows hotter and hotter, the cannonading fiercer and fiercer,until 
suddenly a ringing cheer rises above the roar and clash, telling 
that the movement has proved successful and that the enemy 
are in retreat. 

Instances of personal heroism were frequent in both Federal 
and Confederate armies. The commonest of these was the 
rescue of wounded comrades under fire, and it was a proof of the 
generosity of the combatants that, whenever such efforts were 
recognized, the musketry would slacken and both lines join in 
cheering the rescuer. Scarcely a battle occurred without a dozen 
or more of such attempts, most of them being successful, 
though it often happened that, instead of helping his com- 
rade, the brave fellow met death, or was stretched on the earth 
in an agony of pain. Such were some of the lights and 
shadows of army life on American battle fields. 



GRANT'S BEST BATTLE. IMPORTANT EVENT. 



" The most elal)oi-ate of all General " The most important event of the 

Grant's battles," says General Badeaii, war, with the exception of the fall of 

" was the battle of Chattanooga. It Richmond," says Admiral Walke, " was 

was more like a game of chess between the capture of New Orleans and the 

skilKul players." Forts St. Philip and Jackson." 



TljE FIGHT AT StIEPHERDSTOWN. 



JUZY 16, 1S63. 



Hot Shots and Strong Shelling. 

By N. D. PRESTON, Captain 10th New York Cavalry. 



|N the 16th of July, 1863, we were the only troops from the 
Army of the Potomac on Virginia soil. We marched in 
the direction of Shepherdstown, arriving on the hills above 
the village, early in the afternoon. After reaching the open 
fields beyond the town, the horses of the command were allowed 
to eat of the clover, which was found in abundance. The poor 
creatures were already weak from having been fed so long on 
nothing but clover, and every time they ate of it, added to their 
exhaustion. The animals would drool profusely and stagger 
about like drunken men. Regular issues of oats and corn were 
out of the question, and as a matter of necessity we were com- 
pelled to feed them on the sweet, but suicidal clover. A squad- 
ron from my regiment was detailed to picket the Winchester 
and Martinsburg roads. 

The division was seemingly unsuspicious of the near proximity 
of the enemy. Many of the men were strolling through the 
village while others were collected under trees, playing cards. 
About 3 P.M., several carbine shots were heard on the Win- 
chester pike, which brought the men quickly to their respective 
commands. Soon after, a courier came flying down the road. 
Meeting General Gregg in the outskirts of the village, the rider 
drew his horse up, and, saluting him, exclaimed, " General, 
our pickets have been attacked! " With deliberation and cool- 
ness, characteristic of him, the general moved the pipe from 
his mouth, tapped the ashes from the bowl, and, placing the 
pipe in his side pocket, asked, " On which road ?" 

The attack was made by a large force of the enemy, with the 
intention of forcing the pickets and reserves back upon the 

(236) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 237 

main body before serious opposition could be made. It chanced 
that at the time the charge was rnade, the 1st Maine Cavalry 
were on their way out upon a foraging expedition, and, 
although they had left their carbines in camp, retaining only 
their sabers and revolvers, they were enabled with the aid of the 
picket force, to repulse the charges of the enemy until aid 
arrived. The day was well spent before all the division had 
become engaged. Most of the fighting was done dismounted. 

From the position occupied by my regiment, large bodies of 
mounted troops were plainly seen, clearly indicating the pres- 
ence of a largely superior force. It was evident also that the 
enemy had a larger artillery force present. 

Notwithstanding these facts, we maintained our ground. 
The enemy's batteries obtained good range of our position, and 
from dusk until well into the night kept up a continual 
shelling. 

The firing on our left indicated the heaviest of the fighting to 
be there. Long after dark the crack of the carbine, the roar of 
the cannon, and bursting of shells, reverberated through 
the woods and over the hills. The increased din of battle on 
our left was not at all pleasant to our ears. It indicated the 
enemy's desire to get possession of the road over which we had 
advanced from Harper's Ferry, if indeed they were not already 
in possession of it. 

After dark we were drawn in from the extreme right to a 
point nearer the town. The situation was becoming serious, 
and we could only judge from the direction in which the fight- 
ing was progressing, that the enemy must have worked around 
and got possession of the Harper's Ferry road. 

It must have been about two o'clock in the morning that 
instructions were received to withdraw as quietly as possible 
and join the division. It was evident that an attempt was to 
be made to get out of our awkward predicament. Details were 
made to bring the men together, as many of them were asleep, 
notwithstanding the screeching and crashing of shells. We 
quietly moved out upon the road, and thence to the village, 
where we took our position in the moving column. Instead of 
marching back upon the road over which we entered the town, 
we moved through the town and down a narrow lane toward 
the river. The writer, with two or three men, was detailed to 
remain in the village to direct the pickets on their arrival, in 



238 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



which direction to proceed. Wearily the time passed, every 
moment seeming hours to us. Of course we expected the 
enemy would swoop down and take us prisoners. 

As the light of coming day began to show itself, we con- 
cluded that our comrades had either been captured or had 
joined the division by some other route. Our presence would 
soon be known to the enemy if we remained where we were, 
but we determined to wait and take our chances. Daylight 
coming on, we espied a " solitary horseman " approaching and 
bearing a flag. It proved to be our color sergeant, who had 
remained and enjoyed his night's sleep, all unconscious of the 
departure of his comrades. Following the sergeant, came 
various others of the division who had remained behind for the 
same reasons. Then came the surprising information that the 
enemy had withdrawn under cover of the darkness. They had 
also barricaded the roads to prevent our pursuit. 

The picket force coming up, we all pressed on to Harper's 
Ferry, where we found our infantry crossing. The battle of 
Shepherdstown was hardly fought — and hardly won by either 
side; but as it was anybody's victory, it was ours, anyhow. 






First Confederate Soldier killed 
at Gettysburg-. 



Balloons in War. 



"•^HE first Confederate soldier killed 
on the first day of the battle of 
Gettysburg was Henry Rison of Co. B, 
7th Tenn. Rest. 



TIPTIE idea that balloons could be made 
useful in reconnoissances was first 
conceived by Gen. Fitz John Porter 
during McClellan's Peninsula Cam- 
paign. 



Carl Schurz, 



Soldiers' Orphan School. 



'•IjP'HE first cavalry colonel of the war "TJp'HE first Soldiers' Orphan School 
was Carl Schurz — 1st N. Y. (Lin- was founded by James P. Barr, of 



coin) Cav. 



Pennsylvania. 




^"'^^ 



MKET IN DBADLY COMBAT, 



FITZHUGH LEE'S LITTLE JOKE ON COLONEL TANNANT. 

BY A STAFF OFFICER. 



N 1861, Fitzhugh Lee, now governor of Virginia, was 
commanding the Confederate outpost in Fairfax 
(^^V county, as colonel of cavalry. Colonel Tannant, who 
'W— ss was an intimate friend and classmate of Lee's at West 
Point, was in command of the Union cavalry outpost near 
Alexandria. One day Tannant received orders to advance and 
feel the Confederate position in front. A battalion of men, 
made up from the departments and the city of Washington, 
called the President's Body Guard, was assigned him to make 
the advance. He said to a friend before leaving: — 

" I want soldiers with me on this expedition. I know Fitz 
Lee. I have slept with him, and whenever we come together 
somebody will have to do some good fighting or fast running. 
I know Fitz will fight. If I had soldiers, and not these dress- 
parade fellows, I would be delighted to give my friend a brush, 
just to let him see how nicely we can whip him back into the 
Union." 

In the mean time, his wife had packed his valise with 
clean linen and a bottle of old Hennessy brandy. When every- 
thing was ready. Colonel Tannant took up the line of march, 
along the Fairfax and Alexandria turnpike, in the direction of 
Fairfax Court House. After the command had advanced a 
few miles and come to a halt to rest, the colonel addressed his 
men in the following words: — 

" Attention, battalion: I am now speaking to you as soldiers 
who have enlisted to defend your country, and not as fellow- 
citizens. I want every man to do his duty in the time of battle 
as a soldier should. If there are any of you who are not 
willing to do this, step three paces to the front." 

Not a man moved. They stood like a wall of granite. This 
gave the colonel much encouragement. 

(2:59) 



240 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

"Now, my soldiers," said he, "with this determination on 
your part, we will continue our advance and drive the enemy 
back, or capture the entire force." 

Within a few miles of the Court House they encountered the 
Confederate pickets, and succeeded in driving them back. This 
gave the command new courage. On they pushed. But alas ! 
soon. Turner Ashby, with his Black Horse Cavalry, came 
charging on their flank, while Fitzhugh Lee pressed them in 
front. The engagement began to get interesting, when sud- 
denly Pelham's horse artillery unlimbered on the left flank and 
began to pour a galling fire into Tannant's ranks. He rode to 
the front, leading the charge against Fitz Lee on the other side. 
The men, seeing the situation, became demoralized and re- 
treated in confusion to Alexandria. The Union forces lost a 
few killed and some prisoners. Colonel Tannant's headquarters 
ambulance was captured, with his rations and baggage. 

A few days after the fight, a dilapidated team drove up to 
his headquarters with the letters " C. S. A." branded on the 
skeleton mules, and in dim white letters on the side of the top- 
less ambulance also appeared " C. S. A.," and the driver instead 
of wearing the blue had on a suit of gray. The driver entered 
Colonel Tannant's tent with a military salute, bearing in his 
hand the colonel's valise. 

"Where did you come from?" demanded the colonel. "I 
came from Colonel- Fitz Lee's headquarters," was the reply. 
" He swapped teams and clothes with me, and told me I could 
come back and bring your valise, and here it is, colonel." 

"All right, my man," said the colonel. "Go to your 
quarters and change your uniform and report for duty." 

Colonel Tannant took the valise over to his wife's room and 
opened it. The contents of the valise wei'e a note, which ran 

in the following words: 

Outpost Confederate Army, Virginia. 
My i>ear "Tant": — I have opened yovir valise, appropriated your biled 
shirts for a change, and also your bottle of old Ilennessy for a bad cold. I 
traded ambulances and teams also. When you come out again bring more com- 
missary and quartermaster stores. Fritz. 

Colonel Tannant kept the note until the close of the war, tell- 
ing no one about it but his faithful and loving wife. Tannant 
has been living in Tennessee since the war. Recently he and 
Lee met, and the bottle of old Hennessy was discussed. 



Cahawba # Prison, 



ALABAMA. 



A LONG EXPERIENCE OF CRUELTY AND HARDSHIP. 



One Thousand Nine Hundred and Sixty Hungry, Ra^^ed Skeletons 
Plunged into Hot Water, Steam, and Fire. 



H. C. ALDRICH. 



^TJ WAS captured at Athens, Ala., on the 24:th of September, 
Ol 1864, by Forrest's cavahy, who robbed us of our blankets, 
<^..y watches, etc., and then took us to Cahawba, on the Ala- 
bama river, near the center of the state. There they searched 
us again, and confined us in a brick building 200x300 feet, with 
a roof over a part of it, the center being left open. I shall 
never forget the first glimpse I caught of the inmates as we 
marched in. The poor fellows had been there six months; they 
had cut their hair as close as possible in order to keep off the 
vermin, and some of them had nothing on but a pair of 
drawers — and were nearly all as black as a colored person. I 
asked one of them what had become of his clothes and he said 
he had sold them to the guard for something to eat. One of 
our company, finding his brother there, took the blouse from 
his own back and gave it to him. Soon after we got there we 
drew a skillet for every squad of ten men, and this was the 
only dish of any kind that they let us have. We had to make 
wooden spoons and sharpened sticks with which to eat our food. 
We had a small yard outside of the wall for a cook yard, and you 
can imagine what a place that was when we got one hundred 
and eighty fires or smudges started. The smoke was too thick 
to breathe, and one could not stay there long enough to bake his 
pone, but had to be relieved by some of the squad that remained 
inside of the walls. There was a dead-line around, inside of the 
wall, where the guards marched up and down, and we knew that 
16 (241) 



343 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

death would be our portion if we got across it. Being a sergeant 
I drew the rations for our squad and I knew just what we had. 
We got for rations, a pint of unsifted meal to a man per day. 
Sometimes, however, we would go two days without any, and 
every second or third day we had one forward quarter of beef 
(with the leg and shoulder taken off) for one hundred men. I 
drew my tenth of that for my squad. Once in ten or twelve 
days we drew a little salt (a spoonful and a half to a man). We 
drew some lard two or three times while I was there, enough 
to grease one or two pones. We had to spread it on with a 
stick. Once I had salt enough left to sprinkle on top of the 
lard. The rest of the time it was rather fresh eating. When 
we had meat we put it into the skillet, cooked it a little, and 
then stirred our meal into what we called fresh mush. We 
would sit on the ground around the skillet and each one take a 
spoonful when it came his turn until it was all gone. It did 
not last long. We got some pumpkins twice. I got four small 
ones once for our squad. They were quite sweet, and some of 
the boys ate, theirs raw, while others boiled them with meat. 
These were all the rations we had for the six months I was there. 
When any of the prisoners got too noisy they were punished. 
There was a ladder standing against the outside of the prison, 
and when they took a prisoner out for punishment they made 
him go up on the under side of the ladder, put his toes on the 
third or fourth round, and reach up as high as he could with 
his hands and hang there twenty minutes. The guards were 
ordered, in case the Yank fell before that time, to run a bayonet 
through him. I have seen the boys so lame the next day that 
they could hardly walk. I shall long remember the looks of 
the sandy headed boy who stood guard at the door that we 
passed through to go into the cook yard. One of our men had 
been out into the cook yard with a little cup or pail he hap- 
pened to have, and which had a wire bail. He took a little 
stick about a foot long to hang it on while cooking his mush 
over the fire, and after the mush was cooked he started into 
the prison, out of the smoke, to eat it. As he did so the guard 
halted him, and said, ''You can't go in here with wood," The 
man halted, and looked around, but not knowing that the 
guard referred to the little stick in question, started on, where- 
upon the guard struck him in the back with the bayonet and 
ran it through his body. He fell to the ground and soon 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 24:} 

breathed his last. The guard did not come back the next 
morning to his post, and we learned that they had given him 
a furlough for doing his duty and killing a Yank. 

Colonel Jones had command of the prison. One night, there 
came a heavy rain, and all the prisoners at the lower side 
of the prison had to get up and stand the remainder of the 
night. We were forced to sleep on the ground without blankets 
or anything to keep us out of the mud and wet. One day the 
colonel went through the prison and I saluted him and asked 
if he would let us have some straw to keep us out of the mud. 
He replied that he would send some the next da}^ and all the 
boys hurrahed in anticipation of the treat. The promise was 
never fulfilled. No farmer would put his hogs in such a pen as 
we were confined in. Many a time the tears ran down our 
cheeks on account of the cruel and unmerciful treatment which 
we received of our captors. On one occasion we had to stand 
nearly three days in the water during a freshet, but we were 
benefited by it in two ways; it drowned the rats out of their 
holes in the walls so that we got a few to eat, and it drowned 
out the graybacks. Some of the rebs got up a petition to let us 
out on an island that was near there. They got over sixty to 
sign it, and handed it to Colonel Jones, but he declared that 
the Yanks should stay in there until they were carried out to be 
buried, and that was not long for some of them. I have seen 
ten in one morning laid out on the sill we cut our meat on. 
The rebs M^ould come in with the stretchers and four or five of 
our boys would help them carry our dead comrades out and 
bury them. 

After waiting long for an exchange, the spring of 18G5 
brought us our long delayed relief. But of the many who 
started on the homeward journey, few lived to tell the story. 
Fourteen hundred of those who survived the horrors were 
drowned by the explosion and burning of the steamer Sultana on 
the Mississippi river. Fortunately, I was one of the saved that 
night, but I shall never forget the horrors of the scene. I can 
still hear the pitiful cries of the victims for help. Imagine such 
a calamity if you can — 1,9G0 poor, hungry, ragged skeletons 
roused from their sleep at two o'clock in the morning by the 
explosion of the boilers, and plunged in hot water, steam, and 
fire! I was in the water six hours and picked up for dead, but 
recovered and am vet alive. 



ASSAULT ON FORT WAGNER. 



Famous Charge of the 54th Mass. (Colored). 




JULY, 1863. 
Capt. L. K. ElVIILIO. 





ATTERY Wagner" 
y,Q^ was of bold profile, 
'C(cy:> and stretched from 
the sea to Vincent's creek, six 
hundred and thirty feet, its 
front, except thirty-three yards, 
covered by an easterly bend of 
that creek and its marshes, but 
a short distance south of the 
work. It was of irregular 
form, consisting of two salients 
at either extremity of the south- 
ern or land face, connected ' by 
a curtain, with a sea-face in 
rear of the southeast salient. 
Only an infantry parapet closed 
its rear or northerly face. 
Along its front was a deep 
moat with sluice gates. Its 
armament was three guns bear- 
ing on the sea, ten guns and 
one mortar bearing on the 
land, and some field-pieces. 

Upon that memorable 18th 
of July, 1863, at 10 a. mT, the 
first gun was fired from our 
mortar batteries, and soon the 
cannonade was general. The 



(244) 



navy joined action at 12.30 p. 
M., and threw in a stream of 
shells. Sumter, Wagner, and 
Gregg replied with vigor the 
whole afternoon. Great clouds 
of smoke hung over the iron- 
clads, batteries, earthwork, 
and Sumter's massive walls. 
Shells and solid shot crossed 
each other's course; and the 
air was rent with countless ex- 
plosions. By sunset the earth- 
work seemed to be beaten out 
of shape. Every shell that 
struck sent a column of sand 
high in air; great furrows 
scarred the slopes, while ava- 
lanches of sand were driven 
into the battery, burying the 
men, or obstructed the en- 
trances, and half filled the 
ditch. It was the general opin- 
ion that every gun in the work 
had been silenced; that the 
garrison had been driven from 
their shelters and that any sup- 
porting force had been driven 
away. They were mistaken. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 245 

The garrison, consisting of 1,700 men — South Carolinians, 
North Carolinians, and Georgians — under Brigadier-General 
Talliafero, still clung to the work, and despite the terrible fire 
had had but four men killed and fourteen wounded. The after- 
noon passed with ebb and flow of thundering cannon. At the 
summons of General Gillmore his principal officers gathered for 
a momentous conference, and it resulted in the determination 
that Wagner should be assaulted that night. General Truman 
Seymour was to command the assaulting column. Seymour or- 
ganized his force as follows: Strong's brigade of the 6th Conn., 
48th N. Y., 3d N. H., 9th Me., and 7Gth Penn. was to storm the 
earthwork; Putnam's brigade of the 7th N. H., 100th N. Y., 62d 
and 67th Ohio was the support. Brig. -Gen. Thomas G. Steven- 
son's brigade of the 34th Mass., 10th Conn., 97th Penn., and 2d 
S. C. (colored) was the reserve. Our batteries were managed 
by regular and volunteer artillerymen, and the 7th Conn, 
battalion. At 6 p. m. a single regiment marched toward the 
front, along the road, which ran to the west of the sand-hills. 
Over the line fluttered the national flag, and nestling and 
caressing its folds was the great white banner of the Common- 
wealth of Massachusetts. While passing over the low ground 
to the left of our artillery line the long blue column drew from 
James Island several ineffective shots. The only response of the 
54th Mass. (colored) was to double-quick, that it might the sooner 
close with the foe. On every side the killed and wounded were 
falling; still the survivors pressed on, stumbling over the pros- 
trate forms of comrades^ or into the pits made by the great 
shells of our navy and batteries. Darkness had gathered, and 
the gloom was more intense from the momentary gleams of can- 
non explosions or the flashes of musketry. It was in rush- 
ing over the short distance separating them from the work and 
through the fierce line of fire from the light guns outside and 
the flanking pieces in the salients that probably the greatest 
loss was sustained. Every cannon flash lit up the scene and 
disclosed the ground strewn with victims. Over the sanguinary 
field, the indomitable Shaw had led the stormers; then down 
into and through the ditch, and up the parapet of the curtain. 
There he stood a moment shouting to his followers, and then 
fell dead. Both of the regimental colors were planted on the 
work, the national flag carried and maintained there by the 
brave Sergt. William H. Carney of Co. C. 



246 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

As the 54tli mounted the parapet, they were met with deter- 
mination by the brave garrison, and for a few moments a hand- 
to-hand struggle went on. Such contests, however, are not 
long protracted, and the result always favors the stronger 
force, if equal bravery is exhibited. The weakened ranks of 
the 54th soon gave way to superior numbers, and they fell back 
upon the slopes of the work. Hardly a shot had been fired by 
the o4th up to this time; but now were heard revolvers, and the 
louder reports of musket shots. It was seen that the garrison 
was stronger than had been supposed, that the supports had 
failed to take advantage of the fierce attack, and that the 
heroic attempt to take the work at the first rush had failed. 
Still, by encouraging the men to remain, it was hoped help 
would be afforded the other troops as they came up. While 
engaged in this, many brave men fell. Capts. Cabot J. Rus- 
sell and William H. Simpkins were killed, and Capt. George 
Pope wounded severely in the shoulder. The enemy supple- 
mented their musketry with hand-grenades or shells, which 
they threw down the slopes into the mass of men in the ditch 
below. 

All of these events occurred in a brief period of time. The 
54th had been repulsed before the arrival of Strong's brigade. 
Those clinging to the bloody slopes and lying in the ditch with 
the dead and wounded, hearing fighting going on to their 
right, began to think of preserving their lives. Some crept 
through the ditch and entered the salient, taking part in the 
close fighting there. Among them were three officers of the 
54th, — Captains Appleton and Jones, and Lieutenant Emerson, 
the two former being wounded. Others made their way singl}^ 
or in squads, to the sand-hills in the rear. 

INDIVIDUAL DEEDS OF HEROISM. 

Owing to darkness, individual deeds performed that terrible 
night are but little known. Sergeants Simmons of Co. B and 
Carney of Co. C, Corporal Peal of Co. F, and Private Wilson of 
Co. A, were mentioned in the report of the action as worthy of 
especial merit, and subsequently all received the Gillmore 
medal. Sergeant Simmons was wounded and captured; after 
suffering amputation of the arm in Charleston, he died there. 
Sergeant Carney and Private Wilson were wounded. The 
color-guard was almost annihilated, and the losses among 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 347 

non-commissioned officers were very great. Lieut. Orin E. 
Smith was severely wounded, and remained on the field until 
the next day. Lieut. J. A. Pratt was also wounded, but crawled 
from the fort during the night, lying concealed in the marsh 
until rescued two days after, covered with mud and his own 
blood. 

To retire was as deadly and dangerous a task as to advance. 
Some of the regiment held positions in the sand-hills, until or- 
dered to retire by General Strong. How Sergeant Carney kept 
the stars and stripes flying on the work until all hope of success 
was gone, and then brought his flag away safely at the cost of 
grievous wounds, has been the subject of song and story. 

The writer went into the assault as the junior captain of the 
54th, and by the casualties of the field came out in command of 
the regiment. Finding a line of breastworks entirely unoccu- 
pied, and believing that the enemy would attempt a sortie, dis- 
positions were made to hold the line. Other men were collected 
as they came in, and Lieut. R. H. L. Jewett and Charles E. 
Tucker of the 54th, both slightly wounded, also came to that 
point. That line was held until 1 a. m. of the 19th, when the 
10th Conn, was sent to relieve us. When Strong's brigade ad- 
vanced, it was led by the 6th Conn. That regiment attacked 
the southeast salient, defended by the 31st N. C, but they en- 
tered, supported by the 48th N. Y. The 3d N. H. did not ad- 
vance beyond the marsh of Vincent's creek, and Strong's other 
regiments, the 9th Me. and the 76th Penn., did not gain a foot- 
hold on the work, so far as is known to the writer. General 
Strong advanced with his men, and exhibited the utmost 
bravery. 

General Seymour, perceiving the failure of his leading brig- 
ade, ordered Colonel Putnam to advance his regiments, and 
that officer led a portion of his 7th N. H. into the salient, fol- 
lowed by the 62d and 67th Ohio. His 100th N. Y. advanced 
near to the works, but in the confusion and darkness poured a 
volley into our own men in the salient, and then retired. 

All these regiments suffered severe losses. Fighting was 
continually going on over the inner parapet, and about the gun 
chambers. There we lost many of the bravest officers and men, 
among them Colonel Putnam and Lieutenant-Colonel Green, of 
the 48th N. Y., who were both killed. Attempts to expel our 
men were successfully resisted 'for some time, and the position 



248 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

gallantly held in the hope that support would come and win 
the victory which almost lay within their grasp. It was not to 
be, and at last Maj. Lewis Butler of the G7th Ohio, the ranking 
officer, sent the regimental colors out, and gave orders to retire. 
General Stevenson's brigade advanced toward the work, but it 
was then too late, and his men were withdrawn. 

The Confederates lost 174 killed and wounded. The Federal 
loss was 1,517, which included over 100 officers, and embraced 
General Seymour, wounded; General Strong, mortally wounded; 
and Colonel Putnam, killed; of the ten regimental command- 
ers, Colonel Shaw was killed; Col. J. L. Chatfield of the 6th 
Conn., mortally and five others severely wounded. Such casu- 
alties stamp the sanguinary character of the fighting, and 
mark the assault as one of the fiercest struggles of the war, 
considering the numbers engaged. 

The 54th Mass. suffered more severely than any other regi- 
ment. Col. R. G. Shaw, Capt. William H. Simpkins, and Capt. 
Cabot J. Russell killed; and Lieut.-Col. E. K Hallowell, Cap- 
tains Appleton, Jones, Pope, Willard, Adjutant James, Lieu- 
tenants Smith, Homans, Jewett, Tucker, and Pratt, wounded. 
Of enlisted men, the report gives 20 killed, 102 missing, and 
125 wounded. Of the missing, some sixty men (about twenty 
of whom were wounded) were captured, and the remaining 
forty-two of those reported missing were probably killed. 
Those captured were held in the hands of the enemy in Charles- 
ton jail and other prison-pens until the spring of 1865, when 
the few survivors were released. 



THREE TIMES. FIRST GUN AT SHILOH. 

■npHE 1st N. Y. Cavalry claim to have mHE first gun of the battle of Shiloh 
been the first to enter the war, the was probably fired by Robinson's 

first to lose a man, and the first to (rebel) battery, of Gladden's Brigade 

lose an officer. of Hardee's Corps. 




IRTITH CUSTER, 

At * Yellow * Tavern * and * in « the * Raid * Around « RicMond, 



L. E. TRIPP, ist Sergeant 5th Michigan, 







horses. 




<jj,T Todd's Tavern General Custer led his brigade with 
f) drawn sabers, driving the rebel line and taking their 
position. A battery in our right front, behind a knoll 
and near the woods, made terrible havoc with our 
General Custer ordered our regiment 
(the 5th Mich. Cavalry) to the right, into the 
woods, where we dismounted and charged the 
battery. They succeeded in drawing the guns 
away, but left twenty-one dead and wounded; 
among them, I think, the captain of the bat- 
tery. After two days we started towards the rear wondering 
"What next?" Along in the afternoon we were cautioned 
against loud talking, and our coffee-pots had to be adjusted so 
that they would not rattle. About this time we were passing 
around in rear of Lee's army, when, between sundown and 
dark, we struck Beaver Dam Station, gobbling up, among the 
rest, about four hundred of our men who had been taken 
prisoners. Yes, they were a happy lot of men and were glad 
to see the cavalry. They went to work and armed themselves 
from the captured arms that had been sent back there, and 
took up the line of march towards Richmond with us. Just 
what regiment or brigade opened the fight at Yellow Tavern 
I do not know, our brigade being in the rear of the column. I 
well recollect the column being halted and our standing in the 
road, while some fighting was going on in front, and that some 
shells came over our heads rather too close for comfort. Finally 
our brigade was ordered to the front, where we found a large 

(249) 



250 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

field with a rail fence running east and west through the mid- 
dle, with woods mostly on three sides. We supposed that some 
of our troops had been driven out of this field. We found 
several of Sharpe's carbine cartridges lying on fence rails and 
concluded they were left there when our men fell back. Our 
regiment and the 6th Mich, were moved down on the north side 
of the field in the woods, where we were formed and dis- 
mounted for a charge across the field. I well remember that 
when we were about to leap the fence into the field (for we 
were under fire at the time) the colonel said: " Now, boys, keep 
a good line, for General Sheridan is watching us." (General 
Sheridan and quite a body of troops were on an elevation to 
our right, overlooking the field.) I well remember that my 
tent-mate and friend (Daniel F. Miller) remarked: "Now, 
Tripp, let's keep together." We had not advanced over twenty 
rods, I think, before a murderous cross-fire was opened upon us 
out of the woods on our left and rear. Words cannot picture 
the scene that followed out there in that level field, without 
any chance of cover. We were trying to return the fire, shoot- 
ing in three different directions. Poor Miller received his death 
wound while on one knee shooting in the direction that the left 
of our line had come from. Our brave and noble Custer rode 
up on his horse into that field among us — always cool — with the 
words: "Lie down, men — lie down. We'll fix them! I have 
sent two regiments around on the flank." His words of cheer 
and sympathy to the wounded were deeply appreciated. All 
of this was of short duration, but it seemed like an age then. 
Right there in that field I think General Custer decided on tak- 
ing that battery. Custer's brigade (the 1st, 5th, 6th, and 7th 
Mich. Cavalry) were now all engaged; but the 1st Vt. had for- 
merly belonged to our brigade, and to it Custer went for help. 
The story went at the time, that General Custer went over 
and told the 1st Vt. what he wanted, and it of course vol- 
unteered to go, but the commanding general objected to have 
General Custer fighting his troops and then Custer appealed to 
General Sheridan, who told him to take any regiment that was 
willing to go with him. The 1st Vt. went, and there was an 
advance all along the line. The battery was taken. General 
Stuart received a death wound while endeavoring to rally his 
men. Although on the next day a part of our forces were 
among the defenses of Richmond, (where we were once before 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. . 251 

on the Kilpatrick raid,) I don't think we were in force enough 
to capture Richmond. [Comrade R. says he could never con- 
ceive why we did not] Now, I don't think I should have writ- 
ten this, but the comrade seems to have the impression that the 
first troops that crossed went over on the corduroy bridge. 
In the early part of the day Custer's brigade was ordered 
down toward the railroad bridge (which the rebels had not de- 
stroyed), our regiment in the advance. We met the regulars 
coming from there — some of them wounded. They said we 
would ''find some work down there." This bridge was covered 
by the rebel battery and line of works spoken of. We dis- 
mounted and picked our way along under cover until we 
reached the stream and railroad bridge. Then came the tug of 
war, as the saying is. To get across the bridge, a few of us 
nearest the bridge resolved while the others kept up the fire 
(with the Spencers) to try and cross it. So, a few at a time, 
we crossed our whole regiment and worked off to the left, in 
the swamp, and were skirmishing there for hours while the 
corduroy bridge was being built. We had worked around on 
their flank so far that when the charge was made we could 
shoot lengthwise of their line of works. How they succeeded 
in getting that battery away I don't understand, but it was a 
race for dear life — they occasionally turning about and return- 
ing our fire. They had established a hospital at a house about 
a half mile in the rear of their works, showing that they must 
have had some wounded. We, of course, felt rejoiced when 
we had broken through the trap in which they boasted of hav- 
ing us. Their papers stated that the city officials were coming 
out to look us over; but we couldn't wait. I feel sad when I 
think of our brave comrades who laid down their lives in these 
engagements, and there were many who wore the gray equally 
brave, though in a mistaken cause. 




V/^//^/^^^.^.,^ ^ M ^ ^ 



252 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

CHICKArvlAUGA. 

[Written in commemoration of the de-perate cliarge of tlie 1st Ky. Brigade, by Db. J. M. 
Lydi>"GS, in Cliattanooga Prison, 1864.] 



/^l^ADLY is flowing the red tide of 'Tis death without shrift to the das- 

•CJ^flL battle, tardly foeniau, 

■^"^^^^ Dark Chickamauga, thy shad- And heaven have pity on sweetheart 

ows among, and wife. 
And true to thy legends,* with fierce 

roar and rattle, ^"' «"' ^'^^ ^ ^''^^^ *^^* «^^S"^^^'' ^° ^^'^^ 

The shadows of Death o'er thy bosom Py^^^' 

a O'er rider and horse, o'er dying and 

are flung. ' -^ ° 

dead ; 

See, up yon hillside a dark line is sweep- Nor stop they till night^blessed night 

ing, for the foe — 

Breasting the thick storm of grape- Her mantle of peace o'er the fallen 

shot and shell, hath spread. 

Shouting like demons o'er abatis leap- 

• , The battle is o'er: but where is tliv 

mg, _ ' ■' 

Sons of Kentucky, ye charge them ^ ^^ ' 

rioht well ' "^^^ Bayard of battle, dauntless and 

brave ? 

Up to the cannon's mouth, on to the There cold and uncofRned lies chival- 

ranipart, rous Helm, 

Slioulder to shoulder they gallantly Where Glory's mailed hand hath 

press ; found him a grave. 

Steel into steel flashing fierce in the sun- 

ij„.j^|. Where Hewitt and Daniel ? Where 

Pulsing out life-drops like wine from trumpet-voiced Graves ? 

the Dress ^^^^ where the bi-ave men that they 

gallantly led ? 

Think they of far homes once sunny There voiceless forever and dreamless 

and bright, they lie 

Now blackened and drea,ry, swept by On the field they have won, immortal 

the flame — though dead. 
Fair sisters and sweethearts — God pity 

the sio'ht ! Flow on, Chickamauga, in silence flow 

Wandering outcasts, with heads on 

bowed in shame ! Among the dun shadows that fall 

on thy breast ; 

Hark to the answer ! That shout of These comrades in battle, aweary of 

defiance strife, 

Rings out like a knell above the fierce Have halted them here by thy waters 

strife, to rest. 



♦ Chickamauga means death, and its banks were said to be a favorite Indian battle-ground. 



Ninety Dollars Worth of Comfort, 



ETC., ETC. 



BY A MEMBER OF 27th MASS. 



_.iz^T<^^ 



(T)LTH0UGH the enemy pretended 
^ITx. to hate Uncle Sam, yet his prom- 
ises to pay were highly esteemed by 
them. Understanding this, a party of 
prisoners en route to Richmond took ad- 
vantage of an easy-going Georgia lieu- 
tenant one night, and by caiitious 
negotiation induced him to try and get 
them some apple-jack — for medicine of 
course. His labor of love was a success 
(for ninety dollars), and about mid- 
night he returned with ten canteens 
and himself chuck full of "Southern 
comfort." There were some twenty pa- 
tients. It was thought it would be 
about right to administer the medicine 
in ten-drop doses, but as no spoon was 
to be had it was decided to call every 
swallow a drop. Most of the cases were 
very desperate and required frequent 
doses. During the night a heavy 
thunder storm set in but the drenching 
rain could hardly have been a matter of 
discomfort, for by appearances the pa- 
tients were much wetter inside than 
outside. 

Sambo's Idea of Vengeance. 

As the Union forces were landing at 
New-Berne, N. C, the navy on the 
river and a few guns upon the opposite 
side of the Trent river were engaged in 
throwing shells over the city to prevent 
the enemy from farther attempts to 
burn the place. A man was seen run- 

(2 



ning as for dear life across lots in the 
direction of Kinston, when a shell ex- 
ploded just in the rear of him, covering 
him with a cloud of dirt. A darky and 
his wife were watching him with eager 
interest, and seeing the shell explode, 
shouted : " See dar 1 See dar ! Dar's 
massa runnin' awa, an de wengence of 
de Lor' arter him ! " 



"They Doubled Up on Me." 

George W was a comrade of ex- 
cellent standing upon the field, but he 
loved his toddy. When brim-full of 
such comfort he always had " a ten dol- 
lar bill in his west pocket to bet he 
could lick any man in the regiment." 
One day he was " chuckin' full" and 
wandered into a neighboring camp, 
where he was not backward in referring 
to the ten dollar bill is his west pocket 
in his usual way. This time he fell 
among the Philistines and soon came 
back to camp minus the bill in his 
pocket and his face well pounded up. 
" Boys," said George, " 'tain't right, they 
doubled up on me ! " He didn't quite for- 
get this, for, two years later when 
captured on the field of South-AYest 
Creek he was well braced up and met 
his captors with the challenge, "I've 
got a ten dollar bill in my ' west 
pocket' that I'll bet that I can lick the 
whole Confederacy — if they don't 
double up on me ! " 
53) 



BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA. 
Acconnt of General Steedman's Gallantry on the Bloody Field. 

SEPTEMBER 20, 1863. 

J. W. DOVE, Captain Company G, I 15th Illinois V. I. 




.^^INCE the death of Gen, James B. Steedman, I have 
been a good deal interested in the various accounts 
pubhshed in regard to the general on the field of 
Chickamauga, the ever memorable 20th day of Septem- 
ber, 1863. Taking all the circumstances into consideration. I 
think it the bloodiest and hardest contested battle of the v^^ar. 
for the Union. General Steedman commanded a division of 
Granger's reserve corps of the Army of the Cumberland Gen. 
Walter C Whitaker commanded a brigade of Steedman's di- 
vision, known as the Iron Brigade, of which he was very 
proud, as well he might be. It never turned its back to the 
enemy. It was composed of the 40th Ohio, 84th Ind.. 96th and 
115th III. I led Co. G of the llSth 111. into the fight that day, 
and led out what was left of it at night. Thirty-six of us went 
in on the right of Pap Thomas; we left nineteen killed and 
wounded on the field. Out of 368 men, as I remember, that 
went into the fight of the 115th 111., 172 were killed or wounded, 
Lieutenant-Colonel Kinsman being one. A braver soldier 
never faced an enemy. It has been said that the flag that 
General Steedman took was that of a regiment that was waver- 
ing, which I propose to dispute to the last ditch, and even after 
we get on the other side. It will be remembered that the re- 
serve corps, on the 18th of September, left its camps at Ross- 
ville, Ga., and moved out to what we understood to be the left 
of the army, not far from Ringgold, Ga. , where it had a brush 
with the enemy. On the 19th we fought the rebs at McAffee 

(254) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 255 

Church. Early the morning of the 20th, not finding the enemy, 
we marched around to what we then understood to be the 
right-center of the hue, passing just in rear of General Thomas's 
line of battle. We had to run the gantlet of quite a number 
of rebel batteries, which made it hot work, and we lost some 
of our boys. As we passed what I thought was the extreme 
right of Thomas's line, we filed out of an old field and halted 
just in the edge of a heavy piece of woods covering a high 
ridge. We had double-quicked for a long distance, and were 
pretty well blown. We were hardly given time to adjust our 
lines when I saw General Steedman riding towards us. He 
passed the left of the regiment and on to the center. 

The regiment was standing at parade rest in perfect line. 
We had not been in this position to exceed one minute, when 
the general came up and asked the color-sergeant for the regi- 
mental flag; he took the flag, shook out the folds in a dramatic 
manner; rode a few paces to the front (the color-bearer by his 
side) and lifting the flag high in air, rose high in his stirrups, 
and gave the command, "Attention! Forward, double-quick, 
march!" and that in the loudest voice I ever heard before or 
since. At least, so it sounded to me and I think to others; for 
it appeared to lift the entire brigade bodily. It was one of the 
grandest dramatic effects that I ever witnessed, enough to 
make a hero of the most groveling coward. 

I did not comprehend, nor do I think any of us did at the 
time, the situation and circumstances that called out such an 
effort on the part of our gallant commander, but he did, and we 
were not long in finding out, for up the hill we went as one 
man, intent only to get there. Just as the line reached the 
crest of the hill, we comprehended, or could have done so, if 
there had been time to think, for we met the victorious legions 
of Longstreet coming up the hill on the other side. We met 
face to face, but no army could have stopped our advance after 
so grand a send off, and the enemy reeled, fell back, rallied 
again, and again was forced to retreat. The fighting here was 
terrific the remainder of the day. We held the ridge in spite 
of Longstreet's veterans till night closed in on the bloody scene. 
General Steedman's front was understood to be the key to the 
battle field, and, looking back over the scenes of that day and 
the heroic conduct of Steedman, I can see that he well under- 
stood the importance of his position, and no man could have 



356 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

filled it better than he did. No troops that ever lived did nobler 
work than his division that day. 

General Steedman exposed his life continually. He was just 
where most needed, and how he escaped with life the God of 
battles alone knows. After the sun had set, our regiment was 
deployed much as a . skirmish line, the reason being that we 
were out of ammunition, and had been for some time using what 
could be gathered from the cartridge-boxes of the dead and 
wounded. The boys would find a box of cartridges, and then 
would hunt a gun of the same caliber as the cartridge. The 
115th 111. was armed with the old Remington muskets (sixty-nine 
caliber), while most of the army were armed with fifty-eight cal- 
iber. The result was that we were fighting Indian fashion — 
without regard to tactics or alignment. At this juncture General 
Steedman rode up and ordered us forward to repel a rebel ad- 
vance. The cry went up, " We are out of ammunition! " but he 
dashed to the front, ordered us to fix bayonets and charge 
double-quick! Royally the boys obeyed that order. The bayo- 
nets were fixed quickly, and forward we went with characteristic 
hurrahs and cleared our front once more, which made it possi- 
ble for the army to make an orderly retreat to Rossville and 
Chattanooga that night. General Whitaker lost all but one of 
his staff that day, and was wounded himself. Col. J. H. Moore 
had his horse shot in three different places, yet that noble 
animal kept its feet and carried its rider back to Rossville before 
it died. Lieutenant-Colonel Kinsman was killed in the first 
onslaught of the regiment. His horse escaped to the enemy, 
but was recaptured at the battle of Missionary Ridge by our 
boys. 

The 22d Mich, served with Whitaker's brigade that day. The 
casualties among officers were unusually large — six killed and 
forty-six wounded. The brigade went into action 2,674 strong, 
and came out with 1,689, losing 985 in killed, wounded, and 
missing. 



.^^^>^^\J 




Life on the Monitor. 



A Seaman's Story of the Fight with the Merrimac. 



LIVELY EXPERIENCES INSIDE THE "FAMOUS CHEESE-BOX ON A RAFT." 



How THE Great Disaster off Cape Hatteras Occurred. 

SAMUEL LEWIS (alias PETER TRUSKITT). 




►ii 



3^ 




This man figured in the naval reports of the United States as 
Peter Truskitt, one of the heroic band who stood in the turret of 
the Monitor tvhen she drove the Merrimac out of Hampton 
Roads, and he is the sailor who was ivounded by the concussion 
of a rebel shell just before the termination of the engagement. 
The name Truskitt ivas an alias. 




|E sailors generally 
7-^^ ii>^ shipped under some 
""^^ other name on ac- 
count of danger of running 
foul of bad captains or bad 
ships, when we might have to 
decamp at the first port, and 
were not particular about leav- 
ing any clews behind. That 
was why I called myself Trus- 
kitt. I ain't much of a scholar, 
and can't put it as nicely as they 
do in the Century, but I think 
I can tell a few facts about the 
Merrimac fight that the maga- 



zines missed. I and my part- 
ner, Joe Crown, were in Bom- 
bay when the war broke out. 
We had both served in the 
navy before, and were anxious 
to get into it again. I had 
medals for service on both 
British and Russian men-of- 
war, and the news that there 
was fighting over the water 
sort of fired men up. Well, 
the upshot of it was that Joe 
and I shipped for New York, 
and when we got there en- 
listed. We went on board the 



17 



(257) 



258 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

receiving ship North Carolina, and had followed the dull daily 
routine for a week or so when Ericsson's Monitor, about which 
something had been whispered among the men, was completed, 
and a call was made for volunteers to go and man her. We 
understood that she was bound for Hampton Roads, and Joe 
and I concluded to go. So we stepped out, and were put with 
a lot of others on board the transport ship Knickerbocker and 
sent to Washington. The Monitor was then, I believe, lying in 
the Washington navy yard. 

"Next day we went on board. She was a little bit the 
strangest craft I had ever seen; nothing but a few inches of 
deck above water line, her big, round tower in the center, and 
the pilot house at the end. The monitors that were afterward 
built had the pilot house above the turret to prevent it being 
accidentally shot away by the vessel's own guns, but in that one 
it was a big bomb-proof structure, several feet in height, right 
above the deck. We had confidence in her, though, from the 
start, for the little ship looked somehow like she meant busi- 
ness, and it didn't take us long to learn the ropes. Joe was 
made gunner's mate of the first gun and I was loader. The 
crew were exactly sixty strong, with the pilot. 

"We started at once for Fortress Monroe. From the first a 
good deal of trouble was experienced through leakage, but the 
story that it was difficult to keep the craft afloat is not true. 
Some water came in at the anchor well and some around 
where the turret joined the deck. The last we plugged up 
with swabs and got through all right, arriving near dusk. 
The situation at Hampton Roads was about this: The 
Minnesota was aground, the Cumberland sunk, and the Con- 
gress on fire. While we were there the Congress blew up — one 
of the grandest and most terrible sights I ever witnessed. Our 
first duty was to protect the Minnesota, and we steamed up along- 
side. The sailors were then taking out their hammocks and 
dunnage, and all preparations were in progress to abandon the 
ship. By the next morning this was done, and nobody was left 
on board. 

' ' Our first sight of the Merrimac was around the Rip-Raps. She 
had been described to us and there was no mistaking her long, 
slanting, rakish outlines. She evi(5ently regarded the grounded 
vessel as her certain prey, and I don't think in fact that we 
were seen at first from on board. We were so small and had so 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 259 

little above the water-line when we steamed out I guess she 
took us for some kind of a water tank. You can see surprise 
in a ship just the same as you can see it in a human being, and 
there was surprise all over the Merrimac. She fired a shot 
across us, but Captain Worden, our commander, said, 'Wait 
till you get close, boys, and then let her have it.' In a moment 
the ball had opened. Our guns were so low down that it was 
practically point-blank firing, and we made every shot as far 
as possible tell. 

"At first the Merrimac directed her fire at the turret, and was 
evidently trying hard to put a shell in. That was impossible, 
however, for two reasons. The port-holes were protected by 
heavy iron pendulums, that fell of their own weight over the 
openings as soon as the muzzles of the guns were taken out, 
and when the guns were loaded they were put out at the far 
side, away from the Merrimac, and in that way there was no 
aperture for her to get a shot into. The din inside the turret 
was something terrific. The noise of every solid ball that hit 
fell upon our ears with a crash that deafened us. About that 
time an unexpected danger developed. The plates of the tur- 
ret were fastened on with iron bolts and screw-heads on the 
inside. These screw-heads began to fly off from the concussion 
of the shots. Several of the men were badly bruised by them, 
and had anybody been hit in the face or eyes they would have 
been done for. Luckily this did not take place, but that ex- 
perience caused them to build a metal sheath or plating over 
the screw-heads in monitors afterward. 

" The immense volume of smoke and narrow apertures to see 
through made maneuvering very difficult, and at times we had 
hard work telling where the enemy was. Twice she tried to 
ram us, but we got out of the way. We looked for an attack 
by a boarding party, and had a supply of hand grenades to 
throw out of the turret if one succeeded in gaining the deck. 
Our men were confident and hopeful all through. Once Lieu- 
tenant Green called out, ' They are going to board us!' but in- 
stead of scaring anybody it seemed to please the crew. ' Let 
'em come!' sings out one, 'we will amuse them some!' After 
the fight had been in progress for a couple of hours I was 
knocked senseless by a shot. 

" The gun had just been pulled in and the pendulum dropped 
when a ball struck it a few inches from the head. The shock . 



2G0 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

was SO fearful that I dropped over like a dead man, and the next 
thing I knew I was in the cabin with the doctor bathing my 
head. I soon recovered enough to go up again. Meantime the 
Merrimac had concentrated her fire upon the pilot-house, giving 
up the turret as a bad job, and I think made an effort or two to 
get close and board us. It was in the pilot-house that Captain 
Worden received the wound that blinded him for some time 
afterward, and Lieutenant Green took command. I do not 
think that a boarding party could have been successful, even 
had they reached the deck, because they couldn't have pene- 
trated the interior. There was but one hatch, and that had 
been closed and barred on the inside before tlie engage- 
ment. The tower was solid, and the only way to get below 
from it was to have the hatch in its floor on a line with the 
hatch in the deck. 

"The Merrimac turned tail after a little over four hours of 
fighting. The enthusiasm of our men was at fever heat. 

" ' Let's follow her,' said Joe Crown. 

"'You don't know what you're taking about,' says Lieuten- 
ant Green; ' we would strike a torpedo, sure.' 

" ' I guess we can go where she can,' answered Crown. 

"That was the feeling of all the men. They were disap- 
pointed because they were not allowed to give chase, for 
they noticed that the Merrimac rode low in the water, and 
knew that she had been hit below the line and was filling. 

"That was the close of the fight. Next day we were the 
heroes of the hour. The presidential party came down with a 
lot of ladies, and they cheered and toasted us to the echo. The 
troops about the fortress all felt so proud over the victory that 
they started a contribution of $1 each for the crew of the Moni- 
tor. The sum they raised was sent to Washington, but for 
some reason Congress objected and it was never distributed. 
That made both the crew who manned the Monitor and the 
soldiers who contributed the fund very bitter, and they remem- 
ber it to this day. 

"That was not the end of my experience with the Monitor by 
any means. I staid right with her and never left her until she 
was lost off Hatteras. After the fail of Norfolk we were ordered 
to Wilmington, N. C. The steamer Rhode Island had us in tow, 
and I don't believe the true story of the disaster that terminated 
the trip has ever found its way into print. The Monitor was 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 261 

not a seagoing craft. She was adapted to smooth water, but 
her model was not calculated to withstand a storm. Off Hat- 
teras we encountered heavy weather. The waves ran very high, 
and the ship took so much water that it was only with extreme 
difficulty that she could be kept afloat. Finally the hawser 
either parted or was cut — I don't think that point has ever been 
entirely settled — and realizing that we were sinking we sent up 
a rocket of distress. I afterward learned that all was excite- 
ment on board the Rhode Island, and the usual delay in lower- 
ing the boats was prolonged. Every minute was that much 
nearer certain death to us, and when our signals were not re- 
sponded to, the word was passed among the men that it was 
the intention to abandon us to our fate. This made them des- 
perate, and the sailors insisted that we fire upon the vessel. 
Before they could do so, however, we saw the boats coming, 
but by that time the Monitor was so near gone and the sea so 
high that sixteen were lost before they could be taken in. I 
was on the companion ladder, just behind my messmate, Jack 
O'Brien, and we were both dodging the third waves, which are 
always the biggest. One had just passed, when he sprang for 
the boat, and missed it. I heard him shriek, 'Oh, God!' and 
then he was sw^ept away forever. I caught the boat upon tlie 
gunwale, and managed to pull myself in, but it was a close 
call. The ship doctor, who sat in the stern, had the end of his 
hand jammed off by striking it against the pilot-house plates. 
As we pulled away I saw in the darkness some black forms I 
knew to be men clinging to the top of the turret. They were 
drowned, poor fellows, when a moment later the Monitor gave 
one last pitch and went down like a shot. The boats reached 
the Rhode Island all right, and tbere we got food and clothes, 
for the fire had been out and we had had nothing to eat for a 
day. That was my experience with the Monitor — beginning 
with a battle and ending with a shipwreck." 




Battle ©f Qqo^qu{ (^Qun\mn. 

NOVEMBER 24, 1863. 

TOLD BY A CONFEDERATE COMMANDER (WILSON'S BRIGADE). 





>ipY brigade was at the 
l^foot of Lookout 



3^3 Mountain and was 
not actively engaged, so that I 
was able to witness the move- 
ments from the summit of the 
mountain, and, later in the 
day, to hear from stragglers 
who came to my camp, of the 
events that were taking place 
on the mountain side. 

At 11 o'clock A. M., on the 
24th, the Moccasin Bend bat- 
tery began a furious bombard- 

(2G 



ment of my position and at the 
same time we heard the sounds 
of skirmishing around the 
mountain caused by Hooker's 
advance across Lookout creek 
from Wauhatchie. The Con- 
federate pickets slowly retired 
up the mountain pressed from 
the front and rear by a heavy 
column, until they reached the 
Craven farm. Here, Walthall, 
with his depleted brigade of 
about 1,000 men, finding that 
he was attacked by a large 
column on his left and rear, 
after fighting half an hour, 
gave the order to retreat. This 
order should have been given 
sooner, for about half his men 
were captured here. The small 
number of killed and wounded 
was due to the clouds which 
obscured the troops and to the 
protection afforded them by the 
earthworks around Craven's 
farm. The Federals were 
likewise protected by the rocks 
aiid trees on the mountain. 
2) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



263 



One of the brigades of 
Geary's division — Graft's, I 
think — pushed on that night 
and had a heavy skirmish with 
one of Cheatham's brigades 
under the palisades. The des- 
ultory firing which followed 
was continued during the night 
by a few Confederate pickets 
from behind trees on the 
mountain side, which served 
to draw a heavy fire from the 
Federal lines, thus producing 
the impression that a battle 
was going on. 

Had General Hooker ad- 
vanced his men to the Summer- 
town road a few hundred yards 
beyond Craven's house, he 
could have captured many 
wagons and much artillery 
sent in that direction; and had 
he advanced to the foot of the 
mountain by this road, the 
brigade which I commanded 
would most probably have been 
captured, for it was after mid- 
night before I received orders 
to march to Missionary Ridge. 
The rest of Walker's division 
had gone to Missionary Ridge, 
and there could have been but 
little resistance to so large a 
force. General Bragg having 
ascertained the movement 
made by General Sherman on 
his right flank, determined to 
evacuate and yield Lookout 
Mountain, and was in the act 



of concentrating his right on 
Missionary Ridge when Hooker 
made his attack. Thus it will 
be seen that it was not con- 
templated to bring on a gen- 
eral engagement at Lookout 
Mountain, Why it was not I 
leave to other critics, my pur- 
pose being not to find fault, 
but to prove that General 
Grant was justified in saying 
that there was no such battle 
as the " battle above the 
clouds." 

The occupation of Raccoon 
Mountain and Lookout valley 
established the Federals in 
possession of Chattanooga, as 
it gave them a route for the 
transportation of their supplies. 
From that time the loss of 
Lookout Mountain was a fore- 
gone conclusion. But the im- 
portance of General Hooker's 
attack and the impetuosity 
with which he made it should 
not be underestimated, as it 
was as great as a hard won 
victory in its moral effect upon 
the troops of both armies. To 
see the old flag floating from 
the heights at Point Lookout 
must have been cheering to 
Thomas's corps as it marched 
the next morning against Mis- 
sionary Ridge, and depressing 
to the retreating Tennesseeans 
as they turned their backs on 
their state. 



Born in a Battle. 

blTTLE "SHELL ANNA." 

JULY, 1864. 

GENERAL LOGAN BECOMES GOnFATHEB. 



A TRUE STORY THAT IS STRANGER THAN FICTION. 
BY A 3IE3IB13R OF THE 15th CORPS. 




)URING the summer of 18G4, the army under Sherman 
had fallen back from its position before Atlanta and 
swept around to Hood's rear, General Logan leading 
the advance. We were not molested until we neared 
Flint river. There the enemy had planted a masked battery, 
and, as we approached, it enfiladed our line. You could scarce 
encounter more disagreeable companions than shot and shell, 
and the boys were not long in taking to the timber. General 
Logan at once ordered up a field battery of brass "Napoleons," 
and accepted the challenge for an artillery duel. There was 
nothing to direct the fire of our gunners save the white puffs of 
smoke; but they soon silenced the rebel cannon, and cleared 
the way for the column. 

We then rode forward again. Just as we turned a bend in 
the road we emerged suddenly into a small clearing. A rude 
log cabin stood in the clearing; and hanging from one of the 
bushes we noticed a yellow, cloth. 

It naturally occurred to us that this was an improvised hos- 
pital, and we rode up to inquire. At the door of the cabin an 
old woman, evidently of the "cracker" type, presented her- 
self, but, on seeing that we were " Yankees," beat a hasty re- 
treat. We were not disposed to be so easily baffled, and calling 
her out began to ply her with questions. 

She told us " there wa'n't no wounded men thar," and when 
asked why she had put out a yellow flag replied: " Waal, yer 

(264) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 265 

see, my gal is sick, and I reckoned ef I put out that yer hosp't'l 
rag, you'ns wouldn't be pesterin' 'round." 

" What's the matter with your child? " said I; " we are med- 
ical officers." 

"Waal, now," she responded, " ef you'ns is real doctors, just 
look in and see. Time my gal was sickest, two of yourn shells 
come clar through my cabin, and, I telJ you, it was right skeery 
for a spell." 

We accepted the invitation and walked in. The cabin, built 
of rough pine logs, afforded but one room, about twelve feet 
square. A small log meat-house was the only outbuilding, — 
the cow stable having been knocked to pieces by our shells, — 
except a small bark-thatched " lean-to," in which we found a 
loom containing a partially completed web of coarse cotton 
"homespun." Aside from this loom, the only household arti- 
cles were an old skillet, a dilapidated bed, two or three chairs 
without backs, and a queer collection of gourds. The shells 
had indeed played havoc with the interior. The roof had been 
badly shattered, and a stray shot had pierced the walls. 

A SAD SPECTACLE. 

It had cut one of the logs in two, and forced one jagged end 
out into the room so that it hung threateningly over the bed 
upon which we saw a young girl, by whose side was a babe 
just born. It was a touching spectacle. Here, in this lonely 
cabin, stripped by lawless stragglers of both armies of food and 
clothing, and shattered by the flying shells of artillery, in the 
storm and fury of the battle, had been born this sweet innocent. 
The mother was the wife of a Confederate soldier whose blood 
had stained the "sacred soil" of Virginia but a few months 
after marriage, and the child was fatherless. The babe was 
still in its own innocence, but the writer with his jackknife cut 
from the unfinished web in the old loom a piece of coarse home- 
spun, in which it was soon deftly swaddled. Fortunately we 
had our hospital knapsacks with us, and we did all that our 
limited stores permitted to relieve the wants of the young 
mother and child. 

A CHRISTENING IN ORDER. 

But by this time quite a number of officers had gathered about 
the cabin, and they amused themselves by listening to the old 
lady's account of this stirring incident. One of the officers had 



266 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

given her some '' store terbacker," with which she had filled a 
cob pipe, and the fact that she was spitting through her teeth 
with such accuracy as to hit a fly at ten paces, nine times out 
of ten, showed that she was enjoying herself after the true 
" cracker " style. Presently some one suggested that the baby 
ought to be christened, and it being duly explained to her, she 
replied, " Oh, yes! baptized, I reckon, if you'ns has got any 
preacher along." 

This was all the boys wanted, and an orderly was at once 
sent back with the compliments of the surgeon, requesting that 
a chaplain might be allowed to return with the messenger. 

The general asked the orderly for what purpose a chaplain 
was wanted, and the orderly replied that the doctors were going 
to have a baptism. 

SOME DEVILTRY ON HAND. 

Upon this General Logan (for he it was) significantly re- 
marked that the names mentioned were sufficient to satisfy 
him that some deviltry was on hand, but that the chaplain 
might go. Then, inviting the colonel, who happened to be rid- 
ing with him, he set out himself for the scene, and soon joined 
the party at the cabin. 

"General," said the doctor, "you are just the man we're 
after." 

"For what?" 

"For a godfather," replied the doctor. 

"Godfather to what?" demanded the general. 

The matter was explained, and as the doctor led the way into 
the house, the boys noticed there was something in Black 
Jack's face that they were not wont to see there, and that in 
his eyes there was a humid tenderness far different from their 
usual flashing brightness. He stood for a moment silent, 
gazing at the mother and fatherless child, and their pitiful sur- 
roundings, and turning to those about him, said tersely: — 

" That looks rough." 

Glancing around at the ruins wrought by our shells, he called 
out: " I say, boys, can't you straighten this up a little? Fix up 
that roof. There are plenty of ' stakes' around that old stable; 
push back that log into place; help the old lady to clear out 
the litter, and — I don't think it would hurt you any to leave a 
part of your rations! " 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 267 

The boys leaned their muskets against the logs, and, while 
some cut brush, others swept up the splinters and pine knots 
that the shot and shell had strewn over the floor, and not one 
of them forgot to go to the corner of the cabin and empty his 
haversack! It made a pile of commissary stores, consisting of 
meat, coffee, sugar, hard-tack and chickens (foraged from her 
next door neighbor), surpassing any that this poor "cracker" 
woman had probably ever seen. 

This done, the next thing was the christening, and the chap- 
lain came forward to perform his sacred office. 

" What are you going to give her for a name? I want suthin' 
right peart, now," said grandmother. 

She was told that the name should be satisfactory, and forth- 
with she brought out the baptismal bowl — a gourd — full of 
water fresh from the spring. 

THE CHRISTENING. 

General Logan now took the baby, wrapped in its swaddling 
clothes of homespun, and held it while the chaplain went 
through with the ceremony. The latter was brief and solemn, 
the spectators behaving with becoming reverence, and the 
battle-born babe was christened " Shell Anna." 

The party now turned to leave the cabin and resume the 
march, when General Logan, taking a gold coin from his 
pocket — a coin that he had carried as a pocket-piece for many a 
day — presented it to the old lady as a "christening gift" for 
his godchild, and the officers and men added one by one a 
" greenback," until the sum was swelled to an amount greater 
than this brave-hearted '"cracker" had ever handled. Before 
parting, the general cautioned her to put the money in a safe 
place, lest some " bummer should steal it, in spite of every- 
thing," and then, ordering a guard to be kept over her cabin 
until the last straggler had passed, he rode away. The old 
lady's good-by was: " Waal! them thar Yanks is the beatenist 
critters I ever seen! " 





ByiLE OF IISSIONARI IjIDGE. 

NOVEMBER 23, 1863. 

A GALLANT REGIMENT WON THE FEDERAL VICTORY.— A GRAND CHARGE. 

By LIEUT. W. M. BOROUGHS, Conipaiiy E, 24th Alabama Regiment. 



)ACK in anti-bellum days we frequently saw pictures 
of grand charges made by an assaulting army, in 
columns or single line. The artist probably drew 
more on his imagination th&n actual observation or 
experience, and hence arranged his soldiers with perfect align- 
ment. They were apparently moving upon the enemy, 
prompted by the monotonous " left " of the drill officer. Actual 
war dissipated such pictures from the minds of the veterans of 
the North and South. A line or column might be formed and 
started out all right, but when shell, grape, and minie balls 
began to pour into their ranks, all order was soon lost, and by 
the time the assaulting column reached the objective point, 
companies, regiments, and brigades would be mixed in a man- 
ner never contemplated by military tactics. The charge of 
Grant's columns at Missionary Ridge seemed to be an excep- 
tion to the pell-mell style. I occupied a position from which I 
had an unobstructed view of a mile or more in front and to 
the right and left. Anderson's division occupied the center of 
Bragg's line, Managault occupied the center of the division, 
with Anderson's old brigade of Mississippians to the left of 
Managault. The Confederate line had been extended until it 
was not much better than a strong skirmish line without sup- 
port. 

Yet we had good breastworks topped with head-logs, and we 
felt confident that our deficiency in numbers was compensated 
by the strength of our position. The 24th Ala. had its breast- 
works far enough below the crest of the bridge to admit the 

(268) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 269 

safe discharge of artillery over their heads. A battery known 
as the " Continental" was posted just above them. It had done 
gallant service hitherto, and we felt confident it could hurl 
death and destruction in the enemy's lines whenever he 
appeared in the plain below. 

The morning was clear and beautiful; all the forenoon was 
occupied by the Federals in getting into position. The plain 
between Missionary Ridge and Chattanooga is about, two 
miles in breadth. Far to our left, between the ridge and 
Lookout Mountain, a heavy column could be seen moving. 

This was the Federal flanking column and we had no ade- 
quate force with which to meet it. About three o'clock p. m. the 
grand charge in our front began. As soon as the Federal lines 
appeared midway of the plain, shells went screaming over our 
heads and we could see that they exploded right in the midst of 
the enemy. But on they came, the grandest array of blue ever 
witnessed by the veterans on the ridge. When they arrived 
within two or three hundred yards of the base of the ridge, 
they moved at double quick, and soon broke into a run. As 
line after line came, they lay down at the foot of the ridge. 
They had now got within range of our small arms, but our 
artillery could not be sufficiently depressed to reach them. I 
noticed when the Federal lines dashed up to the ridge, an 
officer riding a sorrel horse. When he reached the base, he 
dismounted, and his horse went scampering to the rear. He 
walked up and down the line, waving his sword, and seemed 
to be urging the men forward, but they lay like a blue ribbon as 
far as I could see, I procured a gun and putting down my 
sword, several of us amused ourselves by firing at that officer 
as he marched up and down, but I saw no effect from our fire. 
Just to the right of the position occupied by this officer one 
regiment was slowly and steadily advancing up the ridge, 
directly in front of Anderson's brigade. 

Major Pocher, of the 10th S. C, came up to our part of the line 
and remarked, " The enemy do not appear to be advancing on 
this part of the line." I called his attention to the regiment on 
our left, now half way up the ridge, and he directed us to fire 
on them. Just then, Captain Hazard came up and asked Major 
Pocher where he could send a detail for ammunition. The 
Major turned to answer when a dull, heavy thud, and an excla- 
mation of "oh!" attracted our attention and the gallant South 



370 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



Carolinian fell full length on his face. All this time the Federal 
regiment continued to advance in front of Anderson's brigade. 
The battery in our rear could now bring upon them an enfilad- 
ing fire, and with every discharge some one would fall, but still 
the others would cluster around their colors. 

By some management, or engineering, Anderson's brigade 
had their works so far behind the crest of the ridge that they 
could not see an enemy approaching in their front, until within 
twenty or thirty feet of the line. Knowing the material of 
which that brigade was composed, I remarked to some one near 
me, " Whenever that Yankee regiment reaches the crest of the 
ridge, they will be swept out of existence in the flash of a gun." 
However, one of those incomprehensible things happened which 
frequently turned the tide of success in our civil war. When 
this regiment reached the crest of the ridge, there did not appear 
to be more than fifty or sixty huddled around their flag. The 
gallant band hurled themselves with a yell upon the lines of 
Anderson's old brigade of Mississippi veterans. Not a shot was 
fired but with one impulse they swept them out of their works, 
and the little band of Federals took possession of the battery, 
waved their flag over it, and trained the guns so as to rake our 
lines. Their comrades swarmed up the ridge to their support, 
and the Confederate line gave way to the right and left, and 
the battle was won for the Union through the gallantry of that 
single regiment. 



Western President. 



J^BRAHAM LINCOLN was the first 
CJ President chosen from the West. 
Previously they had been from the 
South, North, and East. 



First Tennessee Union Infantry. 



■♦l^HE first man in Tennessee to raise 
a company of Tennesseans to do 
battle for the Union was Captain Vin- 
cent Myers, of the 1st Tenn. Infantry. 




SHARPSHOOTER "KILDEE." 

JOHN WEST (alias KILDEE). 

Thrilling Reminiscences of the Confederacy's Best Rifleman. 



THE MAN WHO SHOT GENERALS BANKS AND SHIELDS 
AND SCORES OF OTHER OFFICERS AND PRIVATES. 

(RELATED BY HIMSELF.) 



WAS born and reared in Twiggs county, Ga. , but went to 
the war from Louisiana as a private. At my solicitation I 
was transferred to the Twiggs County Volunteers, my 
home company, which I found in Virginia. The Twiggs Vol- 
unteers were nicknamed the " Jorees," because of their uni- 
forms having three black stripes upon the tail of the coat, 
resembling the three black feathers on the bird called '' Joree." 
I was nicknamed "Kildee," because of my slenderness and 
agility, and because I was in the "Joree" company. In '62 
General Lee received thirteen fine English Whitworth rifles 
that were warranted to kill at 1,800 yards. These were the 
best guns in the service on either side. Thirteen of the best 
marksmen in the army were detailed for this special service, 
and I was the only Georgian that was selected. We were 
placed under the command of a General Brown, who had no 
other duty than to command us. We were practiced three 
months before going into service. A score of every shot was 
kept during these three months, and at the end I was 176 shots 
in the bull's eye ahead of the rest. The last day of the practice 
our marksmanship was tested by our superior officers. A white 
board, two feet square with black diamond about the size of a 
hat in the center, was placed 1,500 yards away. The wind was 
blowing stiffly and it was very unfavorable for good shooting, 
but I put three bullets in the diamond and seven in the white of 
the board. I beat the record and won the choice of horse, 

(271) 



273 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

bridle, saddle, spurs, gun, revolvers, and saber. Our accouter- 
ments were the best the army could afford. Then we entered 
active service, and I have been through scenes which have 
tried men's souls. I soon became indifferent to danger and 
inured to hardships and privations. I have killed men from 
ten paces distance to a mile. I have no idea how many I killed, 
but I made a good many bite the dust. We were sometimes 
employed separately and collectively; sometimes scouting, then 
sharpshooting. Our most effective work was in picking off the 
officers, silencing batteries, and protecting our lines from the 
enemy's sharpshooters. I am certain I killed General Banks 
and Shields. I was the only Confederate sharpshooter on our 
lines on the day those generals were killed. The enemy were 
fourteen or fifteen hundred yards away, and my rifle was the 
only gun that could reach them. I was shooting at officers, 
and I know that I killed them. 

Artillerymen could stand anything else better than they 
could sharpshooting, and they would turn their guns upon a 
sharpshooter as quick as they would upon a battery. You see 
we could pick off their gunners so easily. Myself and a com- 
rade completely silenced a battery of six guns in less than two 
hours on one occasion. The battery was then stormed and 
captured. I heard General Lee say he would rather have those 
thirteen sharpshooters than any regiment in the army. We 
frequently resorted to various artifices in our warfare. Some- 
times we would climb a tree and pin leaves all over our clothes 
to keep their color from betraying us. When two of us would 
be together and a Yankee sharpshooter would be trying to get 
a shot at us, one of us would put his hat on a ramrod and poke 
it up from behind the object that concealed and protected us, 
and when the Yankee showed his head to shoot at the hat the 
other o'ne would put a bullet through his head. I have shot 'em 
out of trees and seen 'em fall like coons. When we were in 
grass or grain we would fire and fall over and roll several yards 
from the spot whence we fired, and the Yankee sharpshooter 
would fire away at the smoke. 

I was captured once. Colonel Brown and I got caught in- 
side of the Federal lines at Cold Harbor, and Sheridan's wagon 
train was between us and liberty. We had on Yankee coats, 
and we rode along up the wagon train for some time trying to 
head it and escape. But we couldn't do it. Finally, Colonel 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 273 

Brown rode up to a driver and ordered him to turn out to one 
side and let us pass. 

"By whose authority?" asked the driver. 

"By my own," replied Brown authoritatively. 

"Who are you?" asked the driver. 

"Colonel Coleman," answered Brown, who had found out the 
name of the colonel who was in command of the train. 

The driver then began to question Colonel Brown pretty 
closely and was about to catch up with us. Colonel Brown 
drew his revolver and sent a ball crashing through his brain. 
We turned our horses and dashed down the lines of wagons at 
full speed, and we ran right into a company of Federal cavalry 
who were protecting the train. A shower of bullets whistled 
about us. We wheeled to the right, jumped a stone wall, and 
just as my horse cleared the wall a bullet struck him behind the 
ear and down we came. Brown's horse was shot from under him 
about twenty steps ahead, and we were both captured. As I 
scrambled out from under my horse, I threw my gun to one 
side in the grass. Three weeks after that I went back and got 
it. We were in a tight place. Having on Yankee coats, we 
would certainly be shot for spies. Night came on and we were 
guarded by four sentinels, who paced back and forward in a 
square several yards in extent. It was very dark. During the 
second watch I whispered to Brown that I was going to leave. 
He asked me how it could be done. I told him I'd rather risk 
four bullets in the dark than twenty in daylight at Fort Dela- 
ware. He said he would follow me. We then began crawling 
like snakes out of the square. Four times a sentinel passed 
right by us. We kept gliding along until we were entirely out. 
We straightened up when about fifty yards from the sentinels 
and struck out for the mountains. We came near perishing for 
want of food before we could get back into the Confederate 
lines. 

I was within ten steps of General Doles when he was killed. 
A Federal sharpshooter had been picking off our men all day. 
and I had been trying for hours to locate him, but had failed to 
do so. I was in advance of our line a hundred yards and was 
concealed behind a rock. Several times he had shot at me. 
About 1,400 yards in front of us was a strip of woods. I knew 
the sharpshooter was in them somewhere, but the tree-tops pre- 
vented my seeing the smoke of his gun. He hadn't shot at me 

18 



274 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



in two hours, but confined his fire to the line in the rear. Gen- 
eral Doles advanced to where I was and asked me if I couldn't 
silence that fellow, as he was doing terrible execution in his 
lines. I told him I had been trying to do it all day, but had 
failed. He asked me to do my best. He then stepped in front 
of me, and faced the woods, exposing his entire person. I told 
him he had better look out, as that fellow has shaved me very 
close several times, and it was dangerous to expose himself. I 
had scarcely spoken the words when a ball struck him in the 
right side, passing through his body and coming out under his 
left arm. General Doles turned half around and fell forward, 
and never spoke, being killed instantly. I carried him off the 
field, and was detailed to carry his remains home. General 
Doles was a fine officer. 

I was shot through the body once. While I was in the 
hospital, Charley Grace, of La Grange, Ga., used my gun, and 
it is said he killed General Sedgwick, but others doubt it. Four 
of the guns were captured during the war. I lost mine at the 
surrender, while I was trying to conceal it in my blanket, to 
carry home with me. I think I shall be able to get it yet, as 
General Phill. Cook, Joe Brown, and others are trying to obtain 
it for me from the government. It was private property, and 
I was entitled to it. The 4th Ga. Regt. regard it as a valuable 
relic. 




G. A. R. 

TITTIE honor of first suggesting the 
order of the Grand Army of the 
Republic belongs to Dr. B. F. Stephen- 
son, of Springfield, 111., who had for- 
merly served in the army. This oc- 
curred in 1866. 



Breech Loading Rifles. 

'Tip'HE first command to fire at an 
enemy with breech loading rifles 
was Berdan's Sharpshooters. It was 
this corps that first demonstrated the 
importance of this arm in actual serv- 
ice. 






NOVEMBER 25, 1863. 

HOOKER'S CAPTURE OF LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN. 

FIGHTING ON MIST-COVERED HEIGHTS. 

By DANIEL R. HUNDLEY, Colonel of the S 1 st Alabama. 



O^HE capture of Lookout Mountain was a brilliant achieve- 
4|LO ment on the part of the Federals; but their success was 
njN^ due more to the want of sagacity of the Confederates 
than to any other cause. 
Lookout Mountain, properly 
defended, could have resisted 
100,000 assailants. 

The mountain towers seven 
hundred feet above the plain 
on which is built the thriving 
city of Chattanooga, Point 
Lookout is the highest part of 
the mountain. It is a bluff of 
solid rock descending ab- 
ruptly for a hundred feet or 
more to a green declivity. 
This terminates in a compar- 
atively level plateau about 
half way up the mountain, some hundred or two yards in width 
and extending back to where the road from Chattanooga to 
Point Lookout first begins the ascent of the bluff above men- 
tioned. From this plateau on the western side of the mountain 
there is a gradual descent to Lookout creek, a small stream 
flowing at the mountain's base. 

After my brigade had been relieved it was replaced by Wal- 
thstU's brigade. This is the brigade surprised by Hooker, and 

(275) 




276 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

which met with such a crushing defeat. At that time we had 
on top of the mountain a whole division of infantry and a sec- 
tion of artillery, if no more. This division was Stevenson's, 
and I belonged to Pettus's brigade, which was a part of it. 

The attack on Lookout Mountain was a complete surprise to 
General Bragg and his troops. The heavy fog enabled the 
Federals to make the surprise a complete success. There were 
men enough on the mountain to have held it against double 
the number under Hooker's command. Soon after receiving 
my instructions as officer of the day, 1 made a visit to the line 
of pickets extending along the whole brow of the mountain. It 
was more than foggy; the atmosphere was thick, almost to 
darkness. 

As I neared the farthest outpost along the brow of the mount- 
ain, facing towards the west, there was a sudden rift in this 
vapory cloud, and I was startled to see the Federal army, col- 
umn after column, pouring across the little stream which 
flowed at the mountain's base. It was for only a moment, for 
the rift in the cloud speedily closed. What I had seen filled 
me with consternation and alarm. Turning my horse I has- 
tened to General Stevenson's headquarters. I made all possible 
speed, but before I could reach my destination the " volleyed 
thunder " told me that I was too late. 

General Stevenson seemed to be dumfounded. He gave me 
Colonel Bibb's regiment as a reserve, and told me to hold the 
top of the mountain at "all hazards." He sent the rest of the 
division to Walthall's assistance, for he, with a remnant of his 
brigade, had safely retreated along the plateau before men- 
tioned, until he reached the summer houses overlooking the 
Chattanooga valley, where he made a gallant stand. Here our 
division found him and here the battle raged during the rest of 
the day. 

Below us the battle continued to rage with unabated fury, 
neither side advancing nor retreating. It filled one with emo- 
tions of awe as he stood on the brink of that fearful precipice 
and peered down into that miniature picture of hell. 

Just after dark the combat below began gradually to die 
away. Reporting to headquarters, I was notified that General 
Bragg had ordered the mountain to be evacuated forthwith. 
I was instructed to go around to all the pickets in person and to 
notify them of this order. Fortunately, the fog had lifted, else 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



277 



I could no more have found my way to those pickets than I 
could have found my way to the moon. 

Solitary and alone I started on my silent round. Not a sound 
greeted my ears save the echoing clatter of my horse's hoofs 
over the stony ground, as he galloped ahead. I presume it was 
near 11 o'clock p. m. by the time the last picket had been re- 
moved. 

Presently I was surprised to see another solitary horseman 
come riding towards me, a man of huge stature; at least such 
he appeared to me to be in the gloom. It was too dark to dis- 
cover the color of his uniform, but a heavy saber hung at his 
side. Halting my horse, with a firm grip on one of my pistols, 
I demanded: " Who goes there?" The unknown also came to 
a halt and answered in sharp, decisive tones: "Jackson, of 
Tennessee. Who are you?" "Officer of the day," I replied 
simply, and rode on. The unknown rider, without further par- 
ley, did the same. 

But was he "Jackson, of Tennessee "? This is a question I 
have frequently asked myself, but never as yet have I been 
able to answer it satisfactorily. Certain I am that " Jackson, 
of Tennessee," had no business there at that hour of the night 
and his horse's head was bearing him away from the Confed- 
erate lines, not towards them, A short time after I found my 
guide, and together we soon safely descended to the valley. 

If "Jackson, of Tennessee," was a Federal, as I am often 
tempted to believe, then I presume I was the last Confederate 
that ever set foot on the top of Lookout Mountain. 



YOUNGEST PRISONER. 




I HE youngest prisoner of the An- 
dersonville pen was August Dip- 
pier, of Co. F, 155th N. Y. Regt. 
He was called the Andersonville 

" Kid." He fought bravely and was 

captured at Cold Harbor. 




Tanner's Unparalleled Experience. 



Occidental Hotel, ) 
San Francisco, October 2, 1886. f 

W. C. King, Esq., Springfield, Mass. 

Ily Dear Sir — I am in receipt of your letter asking me to give 
you some reminiscences of my army life, specifying one in- 
stance which I mentioned once in Faneuil Hall, Boston. I con- 
sider it the most pathetic of all I have ever heard or read of in 
the annals of war. It is absolutely true, and is as follows: — 

I was in the 87th Regt. N. Y. Vols. We had passed through 
the campaign of the Peninsula; we came from there to join 
Pope; we had several days' intermittent fighting around Ma- 
nassas, Bristow, Catlett's Station, until on the 30th of August, 
1862, we were on the field of the second Bull Run. Along in 
the afternoon of that day, I was struck with a piece of shell, 
which necessitated the amputation of both of my lower limbs. 
The operation was performed under fire. My comrades, placing 
me upon a stretcher, started to carry me from the field. For- 
tunes of war were against us, and it was impossible for them 
to get me away. They carried me into a house, and filling my 
canteen with water bade me good-by, and barely escaped being 
taken prisoners. I with others lay in that house three or four 
days. Some were lying in the yards. There were 170 I believe 
all told. It was on the fourth day, I think, that I with some 
others was moved out into the rear and placed in a little tent. 
Six men lay in the tent, and the six men had had seven legs 
amputated. We were lying on a rough board floor; not a rag 
of clothing on; a thin rubber blanket between our bruised and 
bleeding bodies and the hard floor; a single blanket to cover 
our nakedness. I was specially favored by reason of the fact 
that I had a piece of board about as long as your arm set up 
slanting for a pillow. We were prisoners of war. Our captors 
had next to nothing to eat themselves, and we if possible had 

(278) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 279 

less than they. The Virginia sun poured down its intense heat. 
Hunger, thirst, flies, maggots, and all the horrible accompani- 
ments were there. A very few men had been left behind to 
try and take some sort of care of us, but their numbers were 
sadly deficient. We lay there one day moaning for water, and 
there was none to bring it to us. Just at the entrance to our tent 
lay a poor fellow who was terribly wounded in the left side, 
mortally wounded as it proved to be. He was a stranger to us 
and we to him, but it has always seemed to me since, that that 
man, in spirit at least, was a descendant, and an honored one, 
of the most gallant knight of old. He heard our moans. 
Water he could not bring us, but, looking over the greensward 
and out beyond under the trees, he saw there lay some worm- 
eaten apples that had dropped from the branches overhead. 
Every movement must have been agony unendurable to that 
man, and yet he clutched at the grass and dragged himself 
along inch by inch until at last he was within reach of the apples. 
Picking them from the ground he placed them in the pocket of 
his blouse, and then, rolling himself around to keep his sound 
side on the grass, dragged himself back until he lay again at 
the entrance to our tent. He reached out the apples one by 
one, and as I lay nearest the entrance I took them from his 
hand and passed them along until each one of my unfortunate 
comrades had one, I had just set my teeth in the last one he had 
handed to me, and it tasted to me at that moment sweeter than 
the nectar of the gods could have done, when I heard an ago- 
nized moan at my right, and turning quickly I saw this good 
Samaritan with his hands clutching, his eyes rolling. He was 
in the agonies of death. A moment more and it was all over 
for him on this side of the Great River. That is all. I never 
knew even his name. In some Jiome they may mourn him yet 
as missing. Perhaps his bones have been gathered up and in 
some of our cemeteries they are interred under the designation, 
"Unknown." What that man's past life had been, I know not. 
It may have been wild, and his speech may have been rough. I 
know that he was unkempt, unshaven, his clothes soiled with 
dirt and stained with blood; not at all such a picture as you 
would welcome, at first sight, into your parlor, or at your 
dining table. But this I have often thought, that in that 
last act of his he exhibited so much of what I consider the 
purely Christ-like attribute, that in the day when you and I 



280 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



shall stand before the just Judge, to be judged for what we 
have been and not for what we may have pretended to be, I 
would much rather take my chances in the place of a man who 
had so large an idea of practical Christianity, than in the 
place of many more pretentious persons I am acquainted with. 

I am, sir, very truly yours, James Tanner. 

llesidence, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



^iM'^^ 




•^s^ 



HOW IT SEEMS TO KILL A MAN. 



GENERAL MANDERSON, OF NEBRASKA. 



^^HE first man I killed was before 
^^ Richmond, when McClellan was 
I in command. I was doing picket 
J duty late one night near the bank 
of a creek, and had been cautioned to 
be specially watchful, as an attack was 
expected. I carried my musket half- 
cocked, and was startled by every rustle 
the wind made among the trees and 
dead leaves. It was some time after 
midnight that I saw a Confederate 
cavalryman dashing down the opposite 
side of the creek in my direction. As 
he was opposite I fired upon the horse 
and it fell. The cavalryman regained 
his feet in a moment and had drawn 
his pistols. I called him to surrender, 
but his only reply was a discharge from 
each revolver, one bullet inflicting a 
flesh wound in my arm. Then I let 



him have it full in the breast. He 
leaped three feet in the air, and fell 
with his face down. I knew I had fin- 
ished him. I ran and jumped across 
the creek, picked him up and laid him 
on his back. The blood was running 
out of his nose and mouth, and poured 
in a torrent from the ragged hole in his 
breast. In less time than it takes to 
tell it, he was dead, without having said 
a word. Then my head began to swim, 
and I was sick at my stomach. I was 
overcome by an indescribable horror of 
the deed I had done. I trembled all 
over, and felt faint and weak. It was 
with the greatest difficulty that I man- 
aged to get into camp. There they 
laughed at me, but it was weeks before 
my nervous system had recovered from 
the shock. 




/~^^v 



CONFEDERATE MONEY. 



CT^HE Confederate government did 
Vi^ not lack for money. In 1861 it 



^ 



issued $100,000,000, and until the 
last year of the war continued to send 
out bills of every convenient denomina- 
tion, from $1000 to 25 cents. Thei-e 
vs'ere green five-cent postage stamps, 
with profile of Jefferson Davis on them, 
and these were sometimes used in mak- 
ing " change," but the man who did it 
was always pitied as a penurious, i-as- 
cally fellow. Confederate money is 
handsome. Of course the paper is in- 
ferior, but some of the designs are well 
executed. It has a blue back, on which 
are intricate curves and circles and 
curls, and its value is denoted by a 
single word in letters an inch and a 
half tall. There is no uniformity in 
the designs. On some bills there will 
be iniaginaYy heads and sketches, a 
woman, a pile of arms, a rush to battle. 
On others appear likenesses of Confed- 
erate heroes and Confederate state 
houses, — as Jefferson Davis on the fif- 
ties, and Alexander H. Stephens on the 
twenties; the Nashville, Tenn., state 
house on the tens, and tlie Richmond, 
Va., state house on the fives. The face 
of Confederate money is colored pink 
around the likenesses. The first bills 
were simple notes, payable in six 
months. The second and all subse- 
quent issues were made payable at dif- 
ferent times " after a ratification of 
a treaty of peace between the Confed- 
erate States of America and the United 
States." 



Confederate money was not long in 
going below par. During the war it 
was not the extortion of merchants 
which ran up prices to fabulous figures, 
but it was the depreciation of the cur- 
rency. In some sections calico sold for 
ten dollars a yard, good shoes at eighty 
and one hundred dollars a pair. Fifteen 
dollars would purchase a spool of thread 
or a paper of pins. Medicines and all 
luxuries were not in the market for 
that sort of paper. A silver dollar was 
worth at least thirty Confederate dol- 
lars. The Confederacy understood that 
it had to protect its currency as well as 
its rights, and an act was passed mak- 
ing it treason for moneys to be ex- 
changed at different values. 

There has never been a craze among 
the curiosity collectors for Confederate 
money. The f 1000 bill is scarce, and 
readily finds buyers at two or three 
dollars each ; the $500 bill can be bought 
for twenty or thirty cents ; the other 
denominations caii be had for a song. 
Soon after the war men and women 
began to know for a certainty that their 
money was valuable only as paper. 
The ingenious housewives began to use 
it as money never before was used. 
They would paper their walls with old 
journals and periodicals, and put on a 
border made of Confederate money. 
Screens were made of bonds with 
money borders — in fact, everything 
susceptible of ornamentation received 
its supply of paste and pink treasury 
notes. 



(281; 



Siege of Knoxville. 



ATTACK UPON FORT SAUNDERS. 

NOVEMBER 29, 1863. 

Deeds of Heroism and Bravery Rarely if Ever Surpassed. 



GENERAL L.ONGSTREET COMPELLED TO FLEE FOR SAFETY. 

CAPT. CHAS. W. \ArAl-TON. 




JHE Confederate commander knew well that unless the 

place was soon reduced and our little army captured, 

r^ all hope of regaining East Tennessee would be lost, so 

"2(i* the final attempt was made on Sunday, the 29th of No- 
vember, and the rebel troops' 
courage was raised to the high- 
est pitch, at the assurance of 
their leader that they should 
dine in Knoxville on that day. 
That Burnside had a voice in 
this matter I will presently 
show. 

Sunday came, and in a few s 
hours Longstreet and his brave ^'' 
men were expecting to dine in 
Knoxville. The church bells 
had ceased ringing for morn- 
ing service, prayers were as- 
cending for continued protec- 
tion from different altars, while in the Episcopal church a 
hearty response came forth, "Good Lord, deliver us," as the 
minister read from the Litany, " From all assaults of the 
enemy, from battle and murder, and from sudden death." 

(282) 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 283 

Hardly had the benedictions been pronounced in the churches 
before the " assault of the enemy " was made, and Fort Saun- 
ders, made strong by every available means known to the 
engineer's profession, was the point assailed. 

Benjamin's and Buckley's favorite batteries of six guns each 
were mounted in4,he openings on solid floorings, the trees were 
cut down in the immediate front, and, by an ingenious plan of 
Lieutenant Benjamin's, thick wires were stretched from stump 
to stump about knee-high to trip the enemy as they approached, 
while a deep ditch, almost impossible to leap over, encircled the 
fort. It was a sad scene, those rebel troops hurled against such 
a tower of strength, for we felt certain it could only end in dis- 
aster to them. 

Across the railroad, up the gentle slope, and through the 
stumps they came, while our guns were making havoc among 
their ranks. On they came, never faltering, with that well- 
known yell; the stumps that the wires were attached to are 
reached, and down they fall amid charges of grape and can- 
ister, while the steady fire of the infantry from the adjoining 
rifle-pits, although destructive, did not deter them from rushing 
forward. They filled the ditch, and every foot of ground gave 
evidence of their great courage. Lighted shells with short 
fuses and hand grenades were thrown over in the ditch, and in 
another moment through the smoke we discovered another 
brigade closed en masse rushing on to meet the same fate. Our 
guns opened on them with renewed vigor. Yells mingled with 
groans filled the air as they fell, and, unable to stand such a 
scorching fire, they broke and fled to the rear; the few who 
returned were truly fortunate. One or two leaped the ditch, 
climbed the parapet, and planted the colors on our fort, but it 
was only for a moment, as they were instantly hauled in by our 
men. Such deeds of heroism are rare, and we could not help 
but admire their pluck as they were marched off as prisoners of 
war. 

Before the smell of powder and smoke had passed away, I, 
with a few others, passed out of the fort, over the ditch on a 
plank, and looked on that scene of slaughter. Such a spectacle 
I never want to witness again! Men literally torn to pieces lay 
all around — some in the last throes of death, others groaning, 
and their faces distorted under the severe pains from their 
ghastly wounds. Arms and legs, torn from their bodies, lay 



284 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



scattered around, while at every footstep we trod in pools of 
blood. The ground also was strewn with split guns, bayonets, 
and equipments, not to speak of hats and boots. Over a hundred 
dead bodies were taken from the ditch alone, while vast num- 
bers of wounded were being carefully carried within the lines 
to receive the best of care in our hospitals. Three hundred 
prisoners fell into our hands, representing eleven regiments, 
and it was evident that the enemy had met with a fearful loss, 
while ours was comparatively slight. 

A flag of truce having been granted the enemy until five 
o'clock, burial parties were sent out, and for an hour or two 
they were busy burying their dead, who were laid in rows and 
covered over with the soil. At the appointed time the signal 
gun from the fort was fired, the truce was at an end, and Fort 
Saunders resumed its work. 

This was Longstreet's last attempt to dine in Knoxville, and 
when he heard that General Sherman was coming to our aid 
with 25,000 men, he at once decided to raise the siege, pass on 
to Virginia, and join Lee. 

Thus ended the siege of Knoxville, after a period of six 
weeks, and, in a few days after, that section of the country was 
again free from the presence of the enemy. 




-^^ 



First Battery, Port Gibson. 



JIjrSTORY will accord to the 56th 
r Ohio, and 34th Ind. Regt.'s the 
capture of the first battery at the battle 
of Port Gibson, and consequently the 
first victory of the Vicksburg campaign, 
under the orders of Col. James B. 
Slack, commanding 2d Brigade, 2d Di- 
vision, 13th Army Corps. 



Capturing New Orleans. 

Jt DMIRAL PORTER says that he 
'^ was the first to urge upon the author- 
ities at Washington the importance of 
opening the lower Mississippi, and cap- 
turing New Orleans, and that it was he 
who suggested that Admiral Farragut 
be selected to command the naval ex- 
pedition. 



'» . 3 



^, 



■^ 



^©gapi'g ^retuer^ at KsFiegcaaj. 



VEXERA.N. 



fWAS with General Logan all 
through the war, and in all that 
time I never saw him shrink 
in battle. While the battle of 
Kenesaw IMountain was in progress I 
saw Logan ride at full speed in front 
of our lines when the bullets seemed to 
fall thicker than hail. Bare-headed, 
powder-stained, and his long, black 
hair floating in the breeze, the general 
looked like a mighty conqueror of 
mediaeval days. He did not know what 
danger was. Standing upright in the 
stirrups of his saddle I have seen him 
plunge to the head of a charging col- 



umn and bury himself in the smoke 
and flame of the enemy's guns. A few 
moments before the good McPherson 
fell at Atlanta, a shell burst within 
twenty feet of General Logan. Turn- 
ing to McPherson, who had been slightly 
stunned by the explosion, Logan coolly 
remarked : — 

" General, they seem to be popping 
that corn for us." 

Twenty minutes later McPherson lay 
bleeding on the field, while Logan, who 
had assumed command of the troops, 
was hurling his battalions against the 
enemy with the skill of a born soldier. 



First Shot at Gettysburg. 



■♦J^IIE battle of Gettysburg was begun 
by Archer's Tennessee Brigade 
striking a part of General Reynolds's 
Corps. 



MEDALS OF HONOR. 



SIGNS OF TREASON. 



''IJP'HE first occasion of the presentation 
of Medals of Honor to enlisted men 
in the Army of the Potomac, occurred 
September 15, 1864, when medals were 
presented to Sergeant John Shilling, 
Co. H, 3d Del. Regt. ; Private T. C. 
Anderson, Co. H, 18th Mass. Regt., 
and Private George H. Reed, Co. E, 
nth Penn. Vols. 



■•^HE first instance (said the Rich- 
mond Examiner') of the surrender 
of any post, large or small, by a Con- 
federate officer to the enemy, in which 
the marks and signs of treason were 
unmistakable, was the surrender of 
Fort Gaines, Mobile Bay, to Admiral 
Farragut, by Col. Charles Anderson of 
the 21st Ala. Regt. 



(285) 



Reminiscences of General Opdycke. 

A CONFEDERATE CAPTAIN SHOT ON HIS OWN DOORSTEP. 

J. D. REMINGTON, Company I, TSd Illinois. 



^>>:V^X\W\\X\*^N^K>.%>>^\''; 




EK E. OPDYCKE was a man that all the boys of the 
1st Brigade, 2d Division, 4th Corps, learned to love, — 
and as brave as the bravest. I well remember that the 
1st Brigade had been the rear-guard all day on Novem- 
ber 30, 1864. It skirmished with the rebels from Spring Hill to 
Franklin, Tenn., and when we got to Franklin the works were 
full of the troops which had marched in ahead of us. We 
were ordered to the rear and told to get our supper, for it was 
late — near sundown. We soon got supper, for we knew we 
would not have long to stay, as Hood was forming to charge 
and we could see his troops preparing for it. Some of us did 
not get an opportunity to eat before we were ordered to fall in. 
I had a tin can of coffee and a slice of pork, but not the time to 
eat it then. I handed the can of coffee to a comrade, and we 
were soon in line, awaiting orders. When the enemy made the 
charge and drove the troops out of the works on the turnpike, 
in front of Carter's house, Major Motherspan gave this com- 
mand: "73d, fix bayonets and charge!" We did so, and the 
rest of the brigade with the 73d gave a yell, and we all charged 
at the same time, General Opdycke in the lead. We all went 
in — even Major-General Stanley, commanding the corps. As 
he rode past us some one near me yelled out, in the language of 
Marmion, "On! Stanley, on!" I wonder if General Stanley 
remembers the incident, for he raised his hat and said, " Come 
on, boys!" 

I wish to say a word about Captain Carter, of the Confederate 
army. It was not a hundred yards from his house that he was 
killed, but on his own doorstep. Carter's house was inside of our 
lines. The enemy had charged and got inside our lines and 

(286) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 287 

Carter had almost got to the house, when a comrade at my side 
ordered him to surrender. His reply was, "I will die first!" 
This comrade told me in case he missed the Johnny I was to 
shoot at him. My comrade fired and the rebel kept running 
towards the house. I raised my 16-shooter and fired, and as he 
got to the door he fell. From some of the boys who were 
wounded and captured we learned afterwards that Carter fell 
dead on his doorstep with two bullets in him. Truly did he 
come home to die! Gen. Pat Cleburne rode at the head of his 
troops. His horse was killed on our works, and, as the horse 
fell, Cleburne pitched headlong into our works, mortally 
wounded. He died in about ten minutes. He fell near the 
cotton-gin, east of the pike. General Cleburne's home was in 
Nashville. Carter's house was on the west side of the pike. 
At the beginning of the fight the 73d lay west of the pike, but 
was crowded to the east. At the time Cleburne was killed the 
73d lay on both sides of the pike. The 1st Brigade captured 
thirteen rebel flags, instead of ten. General Opdycke d*d fight 
with the men, and the men loved and honored him. After we 
got to Nashville, and were wandering around in the rain look- 
ing for a place to camp, some of the boys tore some boards off 
of a fence. The man who owned the place — an old, crippled- 
up butternut — told General Opdycke about it and wanted him 
to stop them, to which the general replied: " Go in the house 
and shut your mouth, or I will turn my brigade loose on you. 
They are heroes, every one of them! Look at those thirteen 
rebel flags they captured at Franklin last night." The old man 
went in the house and said no more to Opdycke. 

Butler's Command. First OfiBcer Escaped from " Libby." 



"•^HE first to designate General But- '♦^P'HE first officer that made his escape 
ler's command as the "Army of from Libby Prison was Captain 

the James," is said to have been Quar- Skelton, of the 17th Iowa Regt. He 

termaster-General Ingalls. was twice captured and twice escaped. 



^^^m^'-^'^" 



APRIL 12, 1864. 
BY THE PILOT OF THE "NEW ERA." 



' • — ■■ >? 4 " °!!l!!!l!!!nillllllilllllllliii!llil!!l[lll!il° ♦ I< * ' « 

/wl| PRIL, 18G4, I was a pilot on the United States gunboat 
l|^^ New Era, of the Mississippi squadron, and was patrolling 
^■^ the Mississippi river in the vicinity of Fort Pillow, 
which was situated on a bluff on the east side of the river, some 
forty-five miles above Memphis, Tenn. 

The fort was built of logs and dirt, with port-holes for mus- 
ketry and artillery. It was not considered formidable, but 
with the assistance of one or more gunboats, it was thought to 
be strong enough to repel any ordinary force. Its artillery 
consisted of three eighteen-pound guns. It was garrisoned by 
colored troops principally, and was commanded by two as 
brave officers as ever fought a battle, namely. Majors Booth and 
Bradford. 

On the 10th of April, 1864, Major Booth received news from 
Memphis that Forrest, with a division of cavalry, was coming 
with a purpose to attack the fort. The orders were to hold 
the fort at all hazards, and he communicated the same to Cap- 
tain Marshall, who commanded the United States gunboat New 
Era, which was lying there at that time. The cavalry kept 
constantly on the lookout until the evening of the 11th, when 
Forrest's advance was reported within six miles. 

At 6 A. M., on the 12th of April, General Chalmers's brigade at- 
tacked and drove in the pickets, and our gunboat was called 
into action. Captain Marshall took position in the pilot-house 
to communicate with the fort and to direct our fire. They were 
in plain sight, four hundred to six hundred yards distant from our 
boat, forming a half circle around the fort. They opened fire 
with musketry, their artillery not having yet arrived. At 6.30 
the gunboat began firing, using fuse shell with terrible effect. 
The artillery of the fort opened with canister, shot, and shell, 

(288) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 289 

making dreadful havoc in their ranks, and causing them to 
temporarily disperse. During the lull in the fight Major Booth 
ordered all inside the fort, and directed that all tents outside 
should be burned, in order that the view of the garrison might 
be unobstructed. It was while setting fire to a tent that he fell, 
mortally wounded. Major Bradford then assumed command. 
He, too, was a brave officer. The quartermaster of the fort 
refused to go into the fort, but went into a log house contain- 
ing commissary stores situated near the river — and remained 
there. This house was burned with the quartermaster in it, 
and his charred remains were found the following day while 
we were gathering and burying our dead. The fort, with the 
assistance of the gunboat, kept the rebels at a safe distance 
until ten o'clock, when Forrest arrived with a four-pound gun, 
with which he opened on the gunboat and struck the pilot- 
house two glancing " licks." Captain Marshall and I were both 
severely stunned, and just as soon as the captain could get his 
breath he ordered me to " sheer off," but when the second shot 
struck he scooped down the ladder and shouted back to me to 
take care of the boat. Observing that the farther out into the 
river we got the better range they had on us, I brought the 
boat in close to shore, where they could not depress their artil- 
lery sufficiently to hit us. The rebel sharpshooters had by this 
time cleared the upper deck, and I was the only person able to 
see what was going on. Captain Marshall ordered me to direct 
the firing, which I did quite successfully, silencing the rebel 
battery. 

About twelve o'clock, Forrest sent a flag of truce to the fort, 
which I reported to Captain Marshall, who ordered me to come 
to anchor. I ran the boat within speaking distance of the fort 
and anchored. We had been there about forty-five minutes 
when the flag returned to the rebel lines. During this time 
about two hundred rebels came down to the quartermaster's 
house and dressed themselves in Federal uniform, and then re- 
turned to their own line — all of which I reported to Captain 
Marshall, and insisted that he should open on them, for they 
were violating a truce that they themselves had asked for. 
But no; he would not do it; he said he was bound to respect a 
flag of truce. Another flag of truce was presently sent to the 
fort, and, at the same time the rebels — part in Federal uniform 
—got so close to the fort that it hid them from my sight. Im- 

19 



390 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

mediately after the flag had disappeared from my sight, the 
rebels came pouring over the works into the fort with a volley 
of musketry and a rebel yell, and Major Bradford immediately 
surrendered. The flag of the fort was taken down by the 
rebels and firing ceased. In about three or four minutes the 
rebels rehoisted the flag and then a general slaughter ensued. 
Major Bradford, with all his living soldiers, ran down the bluff 
and jumped into the river and tried to swim to our boat, but 
the most of them were shot in the water and disappeared from 
view. Major Bradford, although the rebel bullets struck the 
water all about him, was not injured, and being assured by a 
rebel officer that if he would come ashore he would be treated 
as a prisoner of war, he did so. 

By this time the surgeon, the nurses, and the wounded had 
all been slaughtered at the hospital tent and the firing ceased. 
The gunboat was still lying at anchor, within four hundred 
yards of the fort, and in plain view of the artillery in it, with- 
out a possibility of being reached by the rebel four-pounder. 
Our armor was proof against musketry, and, as Ensign Charles 
E. Schetkey informed me, the boat had plenty of ammunition 
for several such fights left. Nevertheless, Captain Marshall 
ordered the boat gotten under way and headed up stream, and 
the order was promptly obeyed. The rebels thought to make 
short work of us, for as soon as we got in range of the guns in the 
fort, they fired three shots, all of which struck very close to us. 
As the rest of the ammunition for the guns was concealed in 
the bluff, where they could not find it, they were unable to con- 
tinue the fire. It was a narrow escape, for had the boat been 
crippled we should have become an easy prey to the merciless 
rebels. 

At that time, of all the troops that occupied the fort at the 
beginning of the battle. Major Bradford and Captain Young 
were the only ones alive! 

It was 4 p. M. when we left the fort, and we did not come to 
anchor until midnight, having made about thirty miles. On 
our way up we took the wife of Captain Young aboard. April 
13, at 7 a. m., we started back for the fort, arriving at 10.30 a. 
M. We found Chalmers's brigade under a flag of truce — Forrest, 
with his force, having left immediately after the slaughter. 
Captain Young was permitted to come aboard on his parole to 
dine with his wife. He said Chalmers had told him that Major 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 291 

Bradford had forfeited his parole, and if caught would suffer 
death. Captain Young-, at the time, believed the report. I 
then accompanied a detachment of the crew which had been 
detailed to bury our dead, and a horrible sight awaited us. 
The first body we found was the charred remains of the quar- 
termaster, lying in the burned wreck of the house, and on the 
bluff we found many dead Union soldiers who had been burned 
in their tents. We buried these and passed on to the fort. 
There we found that the rebels had stripped the dead and robbed 
them of valuables, and had thrown them into the ditch and 
partially covered them. After tarrying there we went under 
the bluff where the hospital tent had stood. There we found 
about seventy dead Federals. These men had been sent to the 
tent to have their wounds dressed. Imagine, if you can, our 
feelings while contemplating this horrible butchery. 

Major Bradford, we learned from a citizen, had been shot 
that morning in the latter's dooryard by the order of General 
Chalmers, because he commanded negro soldiers. He told us 
that the major had pleaded hard for mercy, claiming the priv- 
ileges of a prisoner of war and declaring that he had only done 
his duty as a soldier. But no mercy was shown, although he 
had surrendered with the understanding that he was to be treated 
as a prisoner of war. After the massacre the wife of Major 
Booth desired to recover his body, and a detachment of soldiers 
went up from Memphis to recover it for her. They found a 
grave under the bluff marked "Major Booth," but on opening 
it they found the body of a negro. Major Booth's bod}^ was 
never found. 



First Military Organization. Confederate General Killed. 



■qp'HE Ringgold Light Artillery, of ^HE first Coufede-ate General killed 
Reading, Pa , claim to have been in the war was General Garnett, 

the first military organization to pre- killed at the battle of Rich Mountain 

pare for the war, and the first to tender in 1801. lie is said to have been killed 

their services to General Scott for the by private John Manson, 16th Ohio In- 

defense of the National Capital. fantry. 



"GENERAL THOMAS," 

The Gunboat that Did Great Service at Decatur, 

G. NORTON, Kssex, Vt. 




>HEN the rebel General Hood started back for Nash- 
ville I commanded the gunboat " General Thomas," 
on the Tennessee river, and was stationed on the 
^ first sixty miles above Decatur, where we had sup- 
plies for the army commanded by General Granger. I had on 
board some of General Thomas's scouts, whom I would land at 
dark with one of my officers, Cassius M. Booth, who volun- 
teered to help reconnoiter the rebel movements, so as to give 
General Thomas information of where Hood intended to cross 
the river. After a long week of sleepless nights our scouts 
brought the news that Hood was on the march down the river, 
and we soon heard the roar of his cannon attacking Decatur. 
I was lightening the ship to get over the shoal when dispatches 
arrived from General Thomas to go to Decatur as fast as possi- 
ble, and thanking me for information sent in the morning. As 
I had to land our coal, and (after we got over the shoal water) 
take on rails for fuel, it was 4 p. m. before we reached the bend 
four miles above Decatur, where we met an army transport, the 
captain of which told me that we could not go down there, for 
Hood's whole army was posted along the banks; in fact they 
commenced to fire on us as he was reporting to me. I simply 
said: " Captain, I am ordered by General Thomas to go to Gen- 
eral Granger's assistance, and I am going. You follow me!" I 
also said: " A man has one chance during life, and this is ours! " 
I ordered full steam, and told the engineer all depended on 
our clean heels, and down past Hood's army we went, close 
to the bank, at the rate of fifteen or twenty miles an hour, 
and we stirred up a nest of hornets. The whole bank was ablaze, 
but, flying past them so rapidly, they did not keep our range, and 
in about the time it takes to write it we were past all the rebels, 
heading up stream in front of General Granger's works. We 
soon silenced Hood's lower earthworks. I reported to General 
Granger on top of the large brick house, north of the town. The 

(292) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 293 

general said to me, " Captain, if you had been sent from heaven 
you couldn't have come more opportune, for all my outer works 
are taken!" While I was at General Granger's side one of his 
aides reported that the enemy had ceased firing, and seemed to 
be moving down the river. Hood says in his report that " the 
enemy having at 4 p. m. received re-enforcements of his gun- 
boats, I deemed it would cost too dearly to force a crossing 
at this point." Our prompt action saved our valuable stores 
from falling into the enemy's hands. Those stores were just 
what the Johnnies needed, for the poor fellows were in a sorry 
condition. We captured and paroled many a one of them 
when they came back after their failure at Nashville. They 
had awful long faces, and said, "But for your miserable gun- 
boats we would have whipped you." After the fight all was 
quiet as we lay at anchor. We were expecting a good night's 
sleep, which we all needed, when, about 8 p. m., orders came 
from General Granger to proceed up the river four miles to 
Limestone creek, where it was reported the rebs were getting 
ready to cross the river. We weighed anchor and obeyed 
orders; found everything dark and still, — no sign of an enemy, 
— and I anchored close over under the thick underbrush on the 
north side of the river. All hands lay down by their guns. I 
was lying on my berth, when, about midnight, there came a 
volley of small arms, the balls rattling against the inch-iron 
like hail, and I sang out, "Give 'em the broadside," and the 
eight-inch guns, loaded with grape and canister, blazed away. 
The way those bushes rattled was a caution. When the report 
of our guns died away we could hear cavalry galloping down 
the river. What it all meant we could not tell, as we supposed 
no enemy had crossed the river. About an hour after the 
mystery was cleared up by the arrival of one of General 
Granger's staff officers, who said this cavalry had come in on 
the train after dark, and were ordered up the river to see what 
was going on. The country was new to them, and all sorts of 
stories being afloat of what had become of the rebs, of course 
they crept up carefully, and at last got the outlines of a black 
something on the water. Of course, our lights were all shut in 
with closed ports, so they took a shot at us. They must have 
opened their eyes when up went our ports, showing lights at 
quarters. Lucky for them they were so far astern before we 
fired, or somebody would have got hurt. 



FORAGING. 



-4- An Interesting Trip After Rations in the Heart of Soutli Carolina. 4- 

FRED REITZ, Company I, 21st Wisconsin. 






\ WILL tell of a foraging trip that about forty of us made 
while on our march through South Carolina. On the morning 
after we reached the Catawba river at Rocky Mount ford, 
"^ four from every company were detailed, under command of 
a lieutenant, to go ahead foraging. We crossed the pontoon 
bridge and took the road leading towards Lancaster Court House 
which some of our squad took on their own hook, and we did not 
see them again for a week. The greater number remained with 
the lieutenant and we stopped the first night at a plantation 
belonging to some rich planter. The fine brick mansion had 
been burned, and the inmates were stopping at the house of the 
overseer. On the next morning we came to the home of Colonel 
Macllwain, formerly a captain in the United States Light 
Horse Dragoons, but then a colonel in the rebel army. Here 
we found a fine plantation with nice buildings, but nearly 
everything gone except some sweet potatoes and a little bacon; 
but we learned that all their valuables, such as clothing and 
jewelry, and also their smoked meat, had been buried. About 
noon, we saw a negro going across the land, and, in order to 
bring him in, shot at him. He soon came, and on being asked 
where the meat was buried, said he had been absent when it was 
done and did not know; but we did not believe him and made 
him agree to show us. He soon led the way into the woods, 
and showed us the spot, where we found a large box put into 
the ground, filled with hams and shoulders, which we carried 
to the house. There were with us a couple of Winnebago 
Indians, belonging to the 21st Wis., who had found a large 
sack of corn meal, a wagon, and two neck-yokes in the woods. 

(294) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 295 

We hitched two yoke of cattle to the wagon, which we loaded 
up with our provisions, and we proceeded on further to a little 
mill about a mile from Lancaster Court House. Here we found 
plenty of corn, and some of the boys went to work to put the 
mill in running order, Comrade John King, of the 21st Wis., 
acting as miller. We got all the negroes to work shelling corn, 
and myself, being a tailor, made a number of sacks out of 
sheets brought to me by some of the boys. The mill ground 
very slow, being one of those one-horse concerns, and we staid 
two days, during which time we got about thirty bushels of meal. 
Another yoke of cattle was found and secured, making three 
yokes. On the second day some of the boys came back from a 
scout and brought twenty -two chickens and one goose, which 
were cleaned, and, being something of a cook, I boiled the chick- 
ens in a big soup kettle and baked Mrs. Goose in a bake kettle. 
General Kilpatrick was then at Lancaster with his cavalry, 
and being ready to proceed onward, sent us word to make for 
our commands. In the morning our lieutenant had left us for 
the purpose of finding out when our corps (the 14th) would 
come up and on which road. In the afternoon we held a con- 
sultation with some of the mounted foraging parties, who had 
come after us and were also grinding corn, as to our remaining 
over night, and they agreed to remain, but afterwards changed 
their minds and left. I then insisted on our also leaving and 
making our way towards the main road to Cheraw, for which 
place I had learned that our corps was heading. Several of our 
squad were determined to stay another night, as we had a 
good time, plenty to eat, and a dry place to sleep. Our ser- 
geant, who had been left in command, was also inclined to stay 
inasmuch as he expected our lieutenant back, but I pointed 
out the probability of getting captured by Wheeler's cavalry, 
who were near Lancaster — only a couple of miles away. The 
question now arose which way we should go, and as I had a 
piece of a map of South Carolina, I pointed out to the sergeant 
the road for us to take to strike the main road, on which our 
left wing was coming. Just about dark we started with our 
wagon, drawn by three yoke of cattle, with a rear guard. 
About twelve o'clock at night we came to a plantation, where 
we found some more of Sherman's bummers, and we concluded 
to stop for the night, and, after posting some pickets down the 
road, the rest of us went to bed — some in the house, some in 



296 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

the fence corners, others in the negro cabins. In the morning 
we saw a small house standing a little way from the mansion, 
and fomid its occupant to be a rebel soldier — a young man with 
a very pretty and young looking wife. She was the daughter 
of the planter. The rebel had been wounded in front of Peters- 
burg, and was home on a furlough. To show you that even 
Sherman's bummers respected the soldier who was manfully 
fighting us in front, I will say that nothing had been disturbed 
around his little home; even his chickens were left untouched. 
I asked him and his pretty little wife if she would not cook us a 
nice dinner and spread the table. She replied that they had very 
little in the house to cook a good meal of. I had carried on my 
gun a ham to bring to my own squad in the company, but I 
went and got it, gave her some coffee, meal, sweet pota- 
toes, sugar, etc., and we had a very enjoyable dinner together, 
and when we left in the afternoon the young couple had a 
much better idea of Sherman's Yankees. The next morning 
our division, which had been delayed on account of the terribly 
bad roads, came along, under the command of General Carlin, 
and we took our places in our companies and our train joined 
the division train, having been gone from the command eight 
days. 



THE TREE OF DEATH. 

{Frotn the Atlanta Constitution.) 
...H.^:^- '•^^-^ 0*0 #— J-<- -t^"- 

f|N the New Hope battle field was a out and fire. Confederate sharpshooters 

tree upon which the soldiers nailed went along the Confederate line for 

the inscription, " Tree of Death." Sev- nearly a mile in each direction, and then 

eral Federals were killed behind the being so far from the side of the tree that 

tree by Confederate sharpshooters. The they could see behind it, by a cross firing 

tree was in advance of the Federal line, made it as dangei-ous to stand behind 

and was about three hundred yards the tree as to stand in front of it. Seven 

from the Confederate works. It was Federals were killed behind the tree, 

used by Federal skirmishers, who would and it came to be known as the " Tree 

stand behind it and load, and then step of Death." 



Rainbow Bluff, North Carolina. 

A REBEL COLONEL'S CRUEL DISAPPOINTMENT. 



By V/. F>. DERBY, 2 7tti Ivlass. 



lECEMBER, 1864, an expedition left Plymouth, N. C, with 
Rainbow Bluff and Tarboro as its objective point. The 
force consisted of the 27th Mass., 9th N. J,, 17Gth Penn., 
detachments of the 16th Conn., 85th N. Y., 12th N. Y. Cavalry, 
2d Mass. Heavy Artillery, and Battery A, 3d N. Y. Artillery, 
the latter armed with muskets. This last force under Captain 
Russell, was temporarily attached to the 27th Mass., under Col. 
W. G. Bartholomew. This force under Col. Jones Frankle left 
Plymouth December 9th, and after several light engagements, 
reached the vicinity of Rainbow Bluff at midnight the 12th. 
At this point the enemy contested the advance so warmly that 
it was concluded they were present in force. It was decided to 
attempt to flank this force, and if possible get to their rear and 
capture them; and this work was assigned to the 9th N. J. and 
the 27th Mass. Regts. This work was quite to their taste; and 
after more than three years' service — much of the time in the 
same brigade — it is not too much to say that they had un- 
bounded confidence in each other. 

The night was bitter cold; the ground frozen and rough, and 
the water froze in the canteens. The moon threw a flood of 
light, requiring great care and secrecy to prevent discovery. 
The way lay to the right across wooded fields, some of the time 
through a deep dry ditch, then through a ravine shaded by 
overhanging cliffs to a stream over which the bridge had been 
destroyed. The stream was a roaring torrent, at flood height, 
but by the aid of floodwood and brush lodged against the pier a 
crossing was effected. As the column neared Fort Branch 
upon the bluff the sky became heavily clouded so that we 
passed it and reached the Hamilton road without opposition. 

(297) 



298 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

As the column reached this road it was discovered by Colonel 
Hinton, commander of the post. Thinking we were re-enforce- 
ments Colonel Hinton mounted his horse and rode up to Cap- 
tain Russell, who was at the rear of the 27th, and accosted him, 
"Good morning, Captain! never so glad to see any one in my 
life;" then turning to the men said, " Had a pretty rough jaunt, 
hain't you, boys? " There was not enough of light to discern 
colors, but Captain Russell scented the fun and replied, "Good 
morning! colonel is just ahead and wants to see you." Reach- 
ing Colonel Bartholomew, Hinton extended his hand saying, 
"Good morning, colonel! Justin time! There's fun ahead!" 
Colonel Bartholomew had walked just far enough to particularly 
admire the gray steed before him, and besides, he had a con- 
siderable bump for good horses. He grasped Colonel Hinton's 
hand and the horse's bits most affectionately and responded, 
"Ah! Good morning! I'm awful glad to see you! You may get 
off that horse; you won't need it any longer, as you are my 
prisoner!" " Wha — what!" exclaimed the astonished rebel 
officer. "What regiment are you?" "27th Mass.," was the 

prompt reply. "The d 1 you are! I thought you were the 

Weldon Junior Reserves," was the disconsolate rejoinder. 

We had it now; we not only had the commander, but the key 
to the position also; we would he the Weldon Junior Reserves. 
The 9th N. J. was at the front. Advancing to some log bar- 
racks a short distance ahead the sentinel was saluted, " Turn 
out the guard for the Junior Reserves." They came tumbling 
out, disgruntled by the disturbance, and without the firing of a 
gun were seized as prisoners. We were now in the rear of and 
near to the rebel intrenchments. Captain Hufty, of the 9th, was 
challenged by two sentinels, but he continued to advance saying 
in a drawling tone, "Come ah-n, boy-es; come ah-n! We uns 
are Weldon Reserves; they uns won't hurt we. Come ah-n!" 
and before the sentinels could decide what to do they too were 
prisoners. It was now reported that there was a body of troops 
approaching from the rear (it was the Junior Reserves), and 
Colonel Stewart, of the 9th N. J., who was in command of our 
force, deployed his troops, the 9th facing the approaching col- 
umn and the 27th Mass. in an opposite direction facing the 
intrenchments, and gave the order " Charge! " The Junior Re- 
serves broke in all directions before the impetuous charge of the 
Jersey boys and the Johnnies abandoned the works before the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



299 



charge of the 27th and took to the woods and a cross road con- 
necting with the Tarboro road. It was expected that the force 
remaining under Colonel Frankle would occupy the intersec- 
tion on the Tarboro road, but this they failed to do, so that most 
of the enemy escaped. The result of this movement was the 
capture of Colonel Hinton and 128 prisoners with arms and 
equipments, and the destruction of their barracks. 



OUR SOLDIKRS' GRAVKS. 



MARY B. HOSMER. 



ftWINE lovely wreaths to deck the 
honored graves 
'^^ Where sleep the ashes of our 

noble dead ; 
Wreathe the dark laurel, green as ocean 
waves, 
With reverence place them o'er each 
patriot head. 



Bring our loved ensign, o'er them let it 
wave. 
The dear " old flag," beneath whose 
folds they fell ; 
I^ong may the nation live they died to 
save, 
Bright be their memory who died so 
well. 

For the dear sacrifice so freely given 
Here let the nation bow itself and 
weep ; 
Gently let fall tears, like dews of heaven. 
Water each mound where our brave 
patriots sleep. 

Place a white tablet o'er each noble 
breastj 
And let their glowing record there be 
found ; 



This be our Mecca, where our soldiers 
rest 
Shield we from impious hands each 
sacred mound. 

But not alone to him of high renown 
Shall paeans rise and words of praise 
be given ; 
Bring brightest laurels for the dead " un- 
known," 
Whose records, lost to earth, are 
bright in heaven. 

The solemn minute-gun, the warrior's 
knell. 
For them is booming over land and 
sea. 
While o'er their graves the winds, that 
sigh and swell. 
Their soft and mournful requiem 
shall be. 

Rest, savior patriots, in your narrow 
beds. 
While all about you Nature's voices 
ring, 
Far brighter crowns await your noble 
heads 
Than the sweet tributes which we 
hither bring. 



300 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Thk Crutch in thb Corne:r. 

[Written just after the war, by Juhn McIntosh— " Old Vermont."] 



room IS as 



U(^lOf?)HY, Billy, your roc 
HIvW cold as the hut 
''^ cj We had by the swamp and 



river, 
Where we lost our Major, and Tim, 
you know, 
And sixty more with the fever." 
"Well, Tom, old fellow, it's hard 
enough, 
But the best at times knock under ; 
There's ne'er a stick of wood in the 
house 
But that crutch in the corner yonder ! 

" Sorry I listed ? Don't ask me that, 
Tom; 
If the flag was again in danger, 
I'd aim the gun with an aching stump 
At the foe, were he brother or 
stranger. 
But, I say, ought a wound from a shot 
or shell. 
Or a pistol bullet, by thunder ! 
Forever doom a poor fellow to want. 
With that crutch in the corner 
yonder? 

" That crutch, old comrade, ought ever 
to be 
A draft at sight on the Nation 
For honor, respect, and a friendly 
hand, 
For clothing, and quai'ters, and 
rations ! 
My wife — she begs at the Nugget 
House, 
Whei'e the big-bugs live in splendor, 
And brag, o'er their wine, of the fights 
that brought 
Such as that in the corner yonder ! 

" And Charlie — he goes to some place 
up-town 
Some ticket-for-soup arrangement; 
All well enough for a hungry boy, 

But, Tom, it's effect is estrangement; 
I'd sooner have kicked the bucket 
twice o'er. 
By a shell or a round ten-pounder, 



Than live such a life as I'm doing now, 
With that crutch in the corner 
yonder. 

" There's ne'er a thing lef L to pawn or 
to sell. 
And the winter has closed on labor ; 
This medal is all that is left me now, 
With my pistols find trusty saber ; 
And those, by the sunlight above us, 
Tom, 
No power from my trust shall sunder 
Save the One that releases me at last 
From that crutch in the corner 
yonder. 

" I can raise this arm that is left to me 

To the blessed heaven above us. 
And swear by the throne of the Father 
there. 

And the angels all, who love us. 
That the hand I lost and the hand I 
have 

Were never yet stained by plunder. 
And, for love of the dear old flag, I now 

Use that crutch in the corner yonder. 

" Do I ask too much when I say we boys 

Who fought for the Nation's glory. 
Now that the danger is past and gone, 

In comfort should tell our story ? 
How should we have fought when the 
mad shells screamed 
And shivered our ranks, I wonder, 
Had we known our lot would have been 
to beg. 
With that crutch in the corner 
yonder? 

" There's little we hear of nowadays 

But pardon and reconstruction. 
While the soldier who fought and bled 
for both 
Is left to his own destruction. 
'Twould be well, I think, in these 
nipping times, 
For those Congress fellows to ponder, 
And think of us boys who use such 
things 
As that crutch in the corner yonder." 



©ir©Tamgtapi©e:g Qfter ©ageg. 



W. p. DERBY, 27th Mass. 




C. D. SANFORD, of 
g^^^ the 27th Mass., with fifty 
men, was scouting near Dover, 
N. C, when he discovered a 
small body of the enemy ap- 
proaching. Secreting his force 
in the swamp he awaited their 
approach, but on discovering it 
to be a flag of truce, he, with 
five men, advanced a short dis- 
tance to meet it. The colonel 
in charge of the flag remarked: 
" Captain, this is very unfortu- 
nate; were it not for this flag 
of truce I should have made a 
splendid capture this morn- 
ing!" "Would you? Let's 
see!" replied Captain Sanford. 
"Forward, 27th!" when his 
men debouched from the 
swamp with fixed bayonets. 
"Ah!" responded the colonel; 
"beg your pardon; this alters 
the circumstances!" "Yes," 
retorted Captain S, with a sup- 
pressed laugh, " and circum- 
stances alter cases! " 



Made It for His Own Use. 

August 14, 1862, an expedi- 
tion reached Swansboro, N. C, 
to destroy the salt works, five 
miles from that place. On 
reaching the works they found 
twenty-five bushels of salt 
ready for the market. The pro- 
prietor begged piteously for 
this, saying he made only a 
little for his own use. He must 
have been an old salt. In spite 
of his pleading the works and 
the salt were destroyed. 

Supported by the 9th X. J. 

A good squib — such as were 
comnlon in soldier life — origi- 
nated upon the battle field of 
Goldsboro, N. C. One of Bel- 
ger's R. I. battery had been 
wounded severely, and when 
approached by a chaplain upon 
the field was asked if he was 
supported by divine grace. 
" No, we were supported by 
the 9th N. J.," was the laconic 
reply. 




(301) 



HOW GRANT SAVED LEE. 

lie Keeps His Word of Honor and Prevents Stanton from Ordering an Arrest. 

COL. BAKROLL, Quartermaster's Department. 

^^3 HE war was o^^er. General Lee and his Confederates 
^^\^ had returned to their desolated homes on their parole of 
^^^v honor. The victorious armies, under Grant and Sherman, 
were encamped around Washington, and Jeff Davis was in 
Fortress Monroe. 

Generals Grant and Rawlins were playing a game of billiards 
in the National Hotel and two civilians were indulging in 
that pastime on an opposite table. A major entered the room 
in a hurry and whispered to Grant. The latter laid his cue on 
the table, saying, "Rawlins, don't disturb the balls until 1 
return," and hurried out. One of the civilians said to the other: 
" Pay for the game and hurry out. There is something up." 

In front of the hotel stood a mounted sentinel. Grant ordered 
the soldier to dismount, and springing into the saddle rode up 
the avenue so fast as to attract attention. The first civilian 
questioned the soldier as to the cause, but received no answer. 
On being told of the general's breakneck ride, it was decided 
to go to the War Department and learn the cause. 

One of the civilians came, asking me if I knew the reason of 
General Grant's hasty action and if I had seen the hero of the 
hour around the department. I answered, "Yes," but was sur- 
prised at anybody's knowledge of the event. When told of 
what had transpired, I said, " Well, as you are aware of the 
coming of General Grant I will tell you about it, providing you 
promise not to repeat it. 

" Secretary Stanton sent for me in reference to the execution 
of certain orders, and, while listening to his instructions, 
General Grant came in. The secretary greeted the general 
with a pleasant ' good morning.' which the latter returned and 

(302) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 303 

said: ' Mr. Secretary, I understand that you have issued orders 
for the arrest of General Lee and others, and I desire to know 
if such orders have been placed in the hands of officers for exe- 
cution,' 

" ' I have issued writs for the arrest of all the prominent 
rebels, and officers will be dispatched on the mission soon,' 
replied the secretary. 

"General Grant appeared cool, though laboring under mental 
excitement, and quickly said: — 

"*Mr. Secretary, when General Lee surrendered to me at 
Appomattox I gave him my word of honor that neither he yor 
any of his followers would be disturbed so long as they obeyed 
their parole of honor. I have learned nothing to cause me to 
believe that any of my late adversaries have broken their prom- 
ises, and I have come here to make you aware of that fact, and 
to suggest that your orders be canceled.' 

"Secretary Stanton became terribly angry, and said: — 

" ' General Grant, are you aware whom you are talking to ? 
I am the Secretary of War.' 

" Quick as a flash Grant answered back: ' And I am General 
Grant. Issue those orders at your peril.' Then turning on his 
heel Grant walked out as unconcerned as if nothing had hap- 
pened. 

" Neither Lee nor any of his soldiers were arrested. I was dis- 
missed from the presence of the secretary with the remark that 
my services in connection with the arrest of the leading rebels 
would be dispensed with until he took time to consider, and I 
yet await the result of his decision." 



■»•♦♦■ 



FOLLY OF THE NORTH. First New York Cavalry's Claim. 



qp'HE folly of supposing that the re- mjIE 1st N. Y. Cavalry claim the 
bellion could be overthrown by honor of having the first volunteer, 

anything but the annihilation of the the first company to muster, the first 

armies which supported and defended cavalry officer killed, the last officer 

it, was first pointed out in the most killed, the first man killed in defense 

emphatic manner by many of the news- of free soil, and the odium of having 

papers, long before the military authori- the first deserter — the only one the regi- 

ties were convinced of it. ment had during its term of service. 



■^^ 



J©— 1^-^ 



erogs ^ {¥ie ^ mapid^iFi. 



1864. 

HARD FIGHTING IN THE WILDERNESS, 



RATTLE OF MUSKETRY AND ROAR OF ARTILLERY. 

By CHARLES B. BROCKWAT, Captain Battery F, 1st Penn. Artillery. 

RANT'S Rapidan movement began on the 3d of May, 
1864, and the utmost caution was observed to prevent the 
enemy from discovering our movements. During the 
night the army was massed at different fords on the Rapidan, 
ready to push over on the appearance of daylight. On the 
4th Hancock's corps crossed at Ely's ford without opposi- 
tion, much to the surprise of every one, because the river 
formed a splendid line of defense. Our road that day took us 
over the Chancellors ville battle ground. The troops were in 
motion at daylight of the 5th. The 2d Corps, leaving the 
main road, marched in a southerly direction, passing a furnace 
and some ore mines. We soon halted and formed line of battle 
on the left of the 5th Corps. They were in position on the 
Brock road, where it cut the Orange plank road at right angles. 
The ground selected by Lee was a dense chaparral for miles 
and is called " The Wilderness." 

The men began at once the construction of breastworks, 
using for that purpose anything that would stop bullets. The 
pioneer corps commenced slashing trees to give play to the few 
guns which were in position, and to impede the enemy should 
they attempt a charge. 

No noise betokened the presence of our foe, yet we "felt in 
our bones " that they were not far off. General Hancock held 
the left. General Sedgwick the center, and General Warren the 
right of the Union line. Burnside had joined us with 30,000 

(304) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 305 

men, including one division of negroes, but the 9th Corps was 
not put on the line. As Sedgwick's artillery had not arrived, 
our battery was ordered to report to General Getty, command- 
ing a division of his corps. Onl}^ one section could be used, 
however, and that must advance at close intervals up the plank 
road. My section was selected. 

I never expected to come out of the engagement alive, nor to 
bring any of my men out. The infantry right and left were to 
a great extent sliielded by the wilderness, but I had to take the 
open road, and formed a good mark for the enemy. The road 
was narrow — a ditch on each side — with no chance to limber 
up and retreat in case of accidents. I had my caissons follow 
some distance in the rear, and put my guns en echelon, to 
enable me to open with both at once. I took the precaution to 
have several shells prepared, as I knew the attack would be 
sudden. Our skirmishers were only fifty yards in front of our 
first line of battle, the two remaining lines following at close 
distance. We could not see what was in the woods, but 
several rebels leisurely paced the road four hundred yards in 
our front, and we knew " by the pricking of our thumbs, some- 
thing wicked this way comes."' 

As the minute of the watch pointed to 4.30 p. m. an advance 
was made. A few steps forward and the silence changed to a 
deafening roar of musketry. We advanced about two hundred 
yards, when the infantry began to waver, and I deemed it 
proper to perform my share in the tragedy. The guns were un- 
limbered and a few percussion shells sent into the enemy's 
ranks, now only a few hundred yards beyond. They immedi- 
ately placed a section of Napoleon twelve-pounders in the road, 
and a couple of solid shot whizzed by our ears. IJere was a 
tangible enemy and we all breathed freer in seeing something 
to fire at. At this time the whole line was engaged; the line of 
battle advanced and receded, and the yells of either party rose 
above the rattle of musketry and the roar of artillery. By a 
fortunate shot we exploded one of the eneiny's limber chests, 
and soon had disabled most of their men and horses. They 
then threw rounds of double-shotted canister, which bounded 
like hailstones, tearing up splinters in the plank road, and here 
and there knocked over men and horses. But our percussion 
shell was superior and their artillery was soon withdrawn. For 
a moment there was a lull and then the rebel line charged. 

20 



306 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Slowly they pressed our men back, yelling like demons incar- 
nate. At first I threw solid shot at the column as it advanced, 
until they commenced double-quicking. At this time, an officer 
of the 93d Penn. hallooed: " Stick to it, Charlie; I've got a thirty 
days' furlough," showing me at the same time a gaping wound 
in his thigh. 

The time had now arrived to use canister, and terrible execu- 
tion did it do along that narrow plank road. The enemy strug- 
gled bravely against it. If the line broke they steadily re- 
formed; if the colors fell they were seized by another hand; 
the wounded crawled into the ditches and the dead formed a 
barrier to the second line. 

General Hancock was now on the ground and promptly sent 
in fresh troops to support us. The enemy soon learned that 
they could not advance down a narrow road in the face of a 
section of artillery, capable of throwing a peck of bullets a 
minute! They then adopted safer tactics by loading their guns 
under cover, and taking the road only long enough to fire them. 
After being under fire over two hours I found only a round of 
canister remained. Major Ricketts sent another section to re- 
lieve me, whicli formed some distance in my rear when I 
retired. At this critical moment one of the guns burst, carrying 
away a foot and a half of the muzzle. The other piece unaided 
could not check the charging enemy, and they secured the gun. 
By a gallant charge Carroll's brigade recaptured the gun and 
after dark we secured its limber. On the right and left the 
fight had been equally heavy, though no artillery was used. 
At the close of the engagement that night we held our ground 
on the left and center, but on the right we had lost two guns, 
some prisoners, and much ground. General Hays and Wads- 
worth had been killed, General Seymour captured, and several 
other generals wounded. Considering the engagement as a 
whole we had got the worst of it. 

On Friday, the Gth, Hancock determined to show Lee the 
mettle of the 2d Corps. The musketry was terrible, but we 
proved that our infantry could outfight theirs, even on their 
chosen ground. Line after line of intrenchments was taken, 
and the enemy's right steadily driven over two miles. This 
left our flank exposed and the enemy was not slow in taking 
advantage of it. Barlow's division was thrown into momentary 
confusion, but order was soon restored, and the line began fall- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 307 

ing back upon its supports. It was at this moment that Burn- 
side should have attacked. 

About noon a kill occurred, but it was the calm that precedes 
the storm. Longstreet, following Jackson's tactics, had massed 
his entire corps on the left. We managed to get Dow's and 
Edgehill's batteries in position at short range, the 1st Penn. 
Battery being put in a position commanding the plank road. 
About 4. p. M. the charge was made, led by Longstreet in per- 
son. It was the heaviest of the war and on it Lee staked his 
hopes of driving us beyond the Rapidan. Our men stood like 
heroes. The guns were double-shotted with canister and fired 
at short range, but still the column pushed forward. A portion 
of Mott's division and an entire brigade of Birney's went to the 
rear en 7nasse, and for a time we feared the line would be 
severed. To add to our discouragement the breastworks, which 
were built of planks, caught fire, compelling us to fall back on 
the second line. The rebels renewed their shouts and hundreds 
of them rushed from the wilderness into the road they had 
gained. The 3d Corps rushed to the front, captured or killed 
the enemy who had gained the road, drove the remainder back, 
captured their colors, wounded Longstreet, killed Jenkins, and 
disabled a number of other prominent generals. The other corps 
were not engaged as heavily. We had repulsed the enemy, but 
they held their original ground, besides holding their wounded 
and thousands of ours. Both had lost heavily. Grant declared 
that his previous battles were skirmishes compared to this. 
The picket firing was very heavy during the entire night and 
succeeding day. On Saturday, about dusk, it was discovered 
that Lee was moving towards Spottsylvania Court House, The 
arms captured from the enemy, or belonging to our killed and 
wounded, were gathered, and broken or buried. In order to 
deceive the enemy headboards were placed over them, in- 
scribed with the names of fictitious soldiers. During the en- 
tire night the weary soldiers were marching. Warren had the 
advance, followed by Sedgwick; Hancock, commanding the 
rear guard, did not leave the field until daylight of Sunday. 
Many men fell by the way, worn out or sunstruck, and had 
to be abandoned to the mercies of Mosby's guerrillas. 



• 

Thk Dekense ok "The Anqle." 

MAY 12, 1864. 

A Heroic Day's Work by tlie 41Ii IJrig-adp, 2(1 Division of tlie (Jtli 
Army Corps, coiiimanded by tlie Writer. 

GEN. OLIVER EDWARDS, of Warsaw, III., First Colonel 37th Massachusetts. 




HE enemy's line in front of Hancock, at Spottsylvania, 
Va., May 12, 1864, formed a salient angle, and here 
the Confederates had massed thirty guns, for General 
Lee considered this the key to his position. General 
Hancock having captured this angle at daylight, the 12th, Gen- 
eral Lee resolved to retake it at all hazard. The position capt- 
ured consisted of this angle, of a line of breastwork five feet 
in height and strong enough to resist the fire of light artillery. 
There was a ''head-log" twenty inches in diameter on top of 
this breastwork, raised sufficient to fire under. There were also 
heavy traverses for the artillery. Behind this line was an open 
grove of large hard-wood trees. Near the right of this grove 
was the head of a ravine, extending back toward the base of 
the angle, forming a natural covered way for Lee's assaulting 
columns to approach within forty yards of the breastworks, 
entirely protected from our fire. It was at this part of the 
angle that the most desperate and constant assaults of the 
enemy were directed, and it was in front of the head of this 
natural approach that the 4th Brigade desperately battled from 
5 A. M. to 4.30 p. M. on the 12th, while it further helped to* hold 
the position until 5 a. m., the 13th. 

At 4.30 A. M. on the 12th of May, 1864, the bugle at 6th Corps 
headquarters sounded the assembly. The corps was sleeping 

(308) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 309 

as soldiers can sleep after seven days' of marching and fighting, 
but in a few moments the 4th Brigade, 2d Division, consisting 
of the 10th and 37th Mass. Vols., and 2d R. J. Vols., reported 
" ready to move." A staff officer from corps headquarters gave 
General Wright's orders that the first brigade under arms 
should move at once. The 4th Brigade moved at once and 
marched a short distance to the left, passing the rebel Gen. 
Edward Johnston, and Colonel Stewart of his staff, prisoners of 
war. The column soon turned to the right and debouched upon 
an open plain, with the angle directly in front, six hundred 
yards away. 

Filing to the right the length of the brigade and then by the 
left flank the 4th Brigade advanced and occupied the works 
captured by the 2d Corps, and relieved that portion of the 2d 
Corps directly in front of the head of the approach before 
described. The lOtli Mass. Vols, were on the right, the 37th 
Mass. on the left, and the 2d R. I. in the center. The brigade 
connected with the Excelsior Brigade, 2d Corps, on our left, and 
the 3d Brigade, 1st Division, 6th Corps, formed on our right. 

Scarcely was the 4th Brigade in position when suddenly 
appeared three lines of the enemy, charging upon the works. 
The first line was scarcely twenty yards away, when the 4th 
Brigade delivered its fire and the enemy's lines were swept 
away; the ground seemed covered with dead, dying, and 
wounded. The firing under the "head-log" made the effect 
far more deadly, for there was almost no overshooting. Expect- 
ing another assault, I ordered each regiment to hold its fire 
until the first line of the enemy was within fifteen yards of the 
works. Five times the enemy charged desperately in three 
lines in close column, and five times they went down before that 
wall of fire. The enemy then ceased to attack in close order, 
but threw forward clouds of skirmishers, endeavoring to 
advance in open order and mass enough men under their side 
of the breastworks to capture them. We then began file- 
firing, each man loading and firing as fast as was prac- 
ticable, and this was kept up until 3 a. m. the next morning. 

The fighting was continuous, and at times almost desperate. 
Two rebel color-bearers were shot down within a few feet of 
the works, and their colors captured, and at one time — for a 
few minutes— a rebel flag floated over the works, and then, as its 
brave bearer was bayoneted, the flag came to us. Lieutenant- 



310 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Colonel Reed, commanding the 2d R. I. Regt., received a bullet 
through his scalp. Major Parker of the 10th Mass. received 
his death shot, Major Moody of the 37th Mass. was wounded 
and had to leave the field, Lieutenant-Colonel Montague, com- 
manding the 37th, was slightly wounded but retained his com- 
mand. Many other officers of the 4th Brigade were killed and 
wounded by sharpshooters off on the right. Col. Waldo Mer- 
riam was killed while speaking to me. Without warning a 
regiment out of ammunition broke from the works to the rear. 
I had not one regiment out of the front line that had a round 
of ammunition. The 37th Mass. were asleep in the mud a few 
steps in rear of the fighting line. No noise of the battle could 
disturb them, but as I command ''37th advance, and hold the 
works with the bayonet I" their line arises and moves into the 
works and crosses bayonets over the parapet. Midnight came, 
and with it plenty of ammunition. What a relief it was! The 
night wore on. At 3 a. m. the enemy suddenly stopped firing. 
Our lines ceased to fire, and at once sent out a small reconnoi- 
tering party, who reported that the enemy had fallen back. I 
immediately covered our front with a skirmish line, and my 
tired soldiers slept on their arms. At 4.30 the firing of the 
rebels slowing down and the 4th Brigade being out of car- 
tridges, I relieved them with regiments of the 2d Corps and 
placed them a few paces in the rear in support. The 4th Bri- 
gade had up to this time used an average of about four hundred 
rounds of ammunition per man. The brigade had had nothing 
to eat all day. Gen. David A. Russell, commanding the 1st 
Division, Gth Corps, walked forward with me and said that he 
felt for us, and if we were not relieved before daylight that he 
would relieve us from his own division. A New Jersey regi- 
ment reported promptly and went into position on my right; 
they were nearly 1,000 strong and fought nobly, easing me from 
all anxiety for that part of my line. 

In the mean time as soon as a relieved regiment could gather 
from the dead and wounded a few rounds of cartridges I relieved 
the regiments in the front line and the relieving regiments used 
their scant ammunition slowly and deliberately. These regi- 
ments belonged to the 2d Corps and fought well. I remember 
one of them, whose commander would reply to me each time I 
put them into the front line, "All right, we have but a few 
days to serve; give us all the fighting you can." 



Archer's lennesseees at Spottsylifunia. 

3IAr 11 AND 12, 1S64. 

A SECOND ANGLE OF DEATH. 




Lee's Conduct Under Fire.— The Daring Act of a Federal Battery. 

By J. H. MOORE, 7th Tenn. Regiment, 



|]Sr the 5th day of May, 1864, Heth's division opened the 
battle of tlie Wilderness, and for at least two hours held 
Grant's army at bay on the plank road. On the 10th, when 
General Hancock led his corps to attack and flank our right, 
Heth's division was directed to meet and repulse him. In this 
last movement Gen, H. H. Walker, then commander of the 
Tennessee brigade, was wounded and lost a leg. The evening 
of the 11th found Heth's division, weary and fatigued, resting 
on the right of Lee's army. For days, officers and men were 
unable to take time to remove or to change their scanty clothes; 
every waking brought an imperative duty, and now, these 
veterans, as by a military instinct, could readily detect the sig- 
nificance of the movement. There are times when disposition 
of troops and orders executed with the utmost secrecy impress 
their aim upon the very privates in the ranks. It was apparent 
that all had forebodings of some great movement going on and 
that danger was imminent. Yet there was no excitement or 
hurry; all was quiet and in keeping with the approaching day. 
Now after ten days of constant service, hungry, weary, and 
unwashed, we might reasonably hope that the time had arrived 
when we could take some rest. Indeed, our position might 
justify this hope, as we believed the Federals were concentrat- 
ing somewhere besides in our front. The works occupied by 
the Tennessee brigade extended about fifty yards in front of 
the general direction of our line and terminated in an acute 

(311) 



312 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

angle. Immediately in our front for about fifty yards, was an 
open space and then pine woods, I was musing in a half rev- 
erie upon those solemn pines, when we were aroused by heavy 
firing on our left. This was about gray dawn. All were aroused 
and turned anxious eyes in the direction of the left. An ominous 
sight was presented. On our left, in the direction of the firing, 
issued flocks of small birds and owls from the wood. The 
density of the pines afforded sufficient darkness to those wan- 
derers of the night, but as they reached the open space in our 
front, their flight was rapid. Hardly had we time to reflect 
upon the retreat of the birds, before a heavy skirmish firing be- 
gan in our front, and about the same time the Federal artillery 
opened on us. This skirmish and artillery firing was kept up 
until about 9 a. m., when the Federal skirmishers were re-en- 
forced and our men were driven in. Elated by the sight of our 
retreat before them, to gain the shelter of our works, they 
marched steadily and boldly out of the cover of the pines into 
the open space in front. They advanced in the height of mili- 
tary discipline, and received without wavering volley after 
volley, but at length our well directed fire told on their ranks. 
Though the enemy was repulsed with heavy loss he rallied 
in the pine woods, and again advanced to the attack. No 
time was lost; every man seemed nerved to do his whole duty. 
The enemy advanced to the open space but did not entirely 
emerge from the pine woods. He was checked by the fire of 
our works, assisted by our skirmishers and sharpshooters. The 
enemy now retired and was pressed back far into the pine 
woods by the advance of division skirmishers and sharpshoot- 
ers. This ended the attack upon the angle held by the Ten- 
nessee brigade. 

AN ACT OF DARING, 

In conclusion, I desire to call the attention of those who par- 
ticipated in the battle of Spottsylvania to what appeared to me 
to be the most daring and desperate act of the war by a battery. 
On the morning of the 13th while I was within our works I saw 
to our right — distance about five hundred yards and about the 
same distance in front of our artillery — a Federal battery ad- 
vance at full speed and halt in an open field. The artillerymen 
at once took out their horses and sent them to the rear, as much 
as to say, "We have come to stay," This was in full view and 
within reach of our forty pieces. As quick as the horses were 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



313 



started back, every man of that battery was seen digging, yet 
I could hardly think they were in earnest, for I was satisfied 
that if our artillery once opened upon them, not a man could 
escape. Presently our artillery opened, and as the smoke, 
cleared off, I could see, that digging, with desperate energy, 
was still kept up by the survivors. Death and destruction I 
thought would be the portion of the battery and its brave de- 
fenders, for it appeared at times as if their caissons were lit- 
erally covered with bursting shells; yet, strange to say, a few 
gallant fellows survived the attack and amid showers of shot 
and shell succeeded in throwing up tolerably secure works. 
They came to stay and they did stay. This was the bravest act 
of the war, and in the hope that I may yet learn who those 
gallant fellows were I mention the incident. 



o • — "^ G 



The March Towards Freedom. 



s— ^ 



>- * \^ 



T©-^ 




IjE are to keep always in mind 
j^ that the war as begun was for 
preserving the Union by main- 
taining the government ; but the nation 
was marching towards freedom. Very 
early in the war, after the battle of 
Wilson's Creek, Mo., General Fremont, 
commanding in Missouri, issued a proc- 
lamation confiscating the property and 
making free the slaves of all citi- 
zens of Missouri who had taken up 
arms against the government. Presi- 
dent Lincoln revoked the order. It 
was his province as commander-in-chief 
to issue such an order. 

Three days before Robert Small 
brought out the Planet, Major-General 
Hunter, commanding at Hilton Head, 



issued a proclamation. He said: 
" Slavery and martial law in a free 
country are incompatible. The persons 
in these States — Georgia, Florida, and 
South Carolina — heretofore held as 
slaves are, therefore, declared to be 
free." 

President Lincoln revoked this order 
for the same reason that he had revoked 
General Fremont's. He had sent a 
message to Congress urging the gradual 
abolishment of slavery by compensating 
the masters. 

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the thinker, 

had this to say about it : 

Pay ransom to the owner, 

And fill the bag to the brim. 

Who is the owner? The slave is owner, 

And ever was. Pay him. 



AX SPOXXSYIvVANIA, 
MAY 12, 1864. 

A Terrible Fire.— Trees Eigliteen Indies Through Cut Down by Bullets. 



'<^^' ■ ■''^^■'"''<^' '-i^- "-^^'^ '■<i!^T ■;''! 



p^- '^' '<^- -^^ -^^' '-^^' C'r^ 




'he charge against the salient at Spottsylvania, Va., on 
the 12th of May, was bloody and decisive. It was just 

^^ , getting to be light and a heavy fog rested over the earth, 
when the low command, "Forward!" was given. The men 
passed quietly over three-fourths of the distance ere the 
enemy's pickets fired. Our troops then charged at the run 
and gained the works before their men were really awake. 
They had only time to fire a few rounds of canister. Unfort- 
unately, at the sight of the prisoners and captured guns, the 
supporting columns gave vent to theii' joy by the most noisy 
yells imaginable, thus alarming the enemy, and warning them 
of our advance. Had it been otherwise, little would have been 
left of Lee's army, as their center was pierced, and in a few 
minutes we would have been in their rear. But the enemy was 
aroused, and, drawing troops from other points, endeavored to 
retake their works. The Mississippi brigade regained part of 
the line in front of Birney's division, and there occurred the 
hardest fight of the day. 

Our men retreated about thirty yards, and though unprotected 
fought unflinchingly the entire day. So steady was our fire, 
they could neither show their heads, take aim, nor retreat, as 
our guns covered the space behind them. Where our line 
joined theirs, the men could touch each other, and each would 
load and fire over the parapet. This terrific musketry was 
kept up through the night to prevent the enemy from carry- 
ing off some artillery which lay between the lines. 

Trees eighteen inches in thickness were cut down by it, and 

bodies of men and horses lying between the two lines were 

reduced to shapeless masses. 

(.311) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 315 

As Hancock's lieadquarters were in our battery, we saw and 
heard all that was going on. A moment after the charge a 
crowd of men came confusedly to the rear. I could scarcely 
believe our corps had broken, as there had been but little firing; 
but the gray uniforms soon dispelled our fears. They came in 
thousands and we began to fear that they would overpower the 
weak guard sent with them, 

Major-General Johnson was brought in. He thanked his 
guard courteously for their kindness. " You are damned wel- 
come," was the blunt reply of the sergeant. Hancock greeted 
him cordially, saying, "I am glad to see you, Ned." "Under 
other circumstances," said the rebel, " I would be pleased to 
meet you." Hancock then said to an aide, decisively: "Tele- 
graph Warren and Burnside to attack at once; that I have 
routed Johnson and am going to roll up Early; have taken their 
main line, eight thousand prisoners, thirty guns, and twenty- 
three colors. Request General Wright to send re-enforcements, 
and in the meantime send in every available man to this point 
and give orders to hold the works at all hazards." 

During these orders, Johnson put his hand to his heart, and 
as he gazed upon his fellow prisoners and the earthworks, 
which but an hour before were under his command, heavy 
tears coursed down his cheeks and his whole frame heaved 
with emotion. But he took a drink with Hancock, who then 
sent him on horseback to Grant's headquarters, accompanied 
by an aide. Our horses were sent to us to bring off the captured 
guns, and in many cases the men had to fight while hitching to 
them. The Irish brigade and Miles's brigade each secured a 
gun after dark, by slowly crawling up in the face of the 
enemy's fire, hitching to them, and dragging them to the rear. 



A Singular Coincidence. 



^WO lieutenants of the Regular first granted. By a coincidence their 

Army sought and obtained permis- regiments bore even date, as did their 

sion to take service in volunteer regi- order of detail. These two officers be- 

raents. Their applications were the came widely known as Major-General 

first of that nature made, and were the Warren and General Kilpatrick. 



GENERAL HUNTER'S RAID 

U P '^i^ T H K ^}c S H K N A N D O A H 



NEWMARKET AVENGED. 

Captain SOuLEY, 34th Mass. 





|N the 23d of May, 1864, Maj.-Gen. David Hunter assumed 
command of the army of the Shenandoah, then lying 
encamped in the vicinity of Strasburg, superseding Gen- 
eral Sigel. On assuming command the new commander issued 
an extremely stringent order, a copy of which now lies before 
me. Section 2d says: "For the expedition on hand, the 
clothes each soldier has on his back, with one extra pair of 
shoes and socks, are amply sufficient. Everything will be 
packed. Each knapsack will contain one hundred rounds of 
ammunition, carefully packed; four pounds of hard-bread, to 
last eight days; ten rations of coffee, sugar, and salt; one pair 
of shoes and socks, and nothing else." Section 3d orders that 
the command shall subsist on the country. Under this order 
the command was put in motion on the morning of the 2Gth. 
On the evening of the 29th, it encamped near the battle field 
where it had been defeated under Sigel on the loth. Here the 
column remained till the morning of June 2, burying the dead, 
and caring for the wounded, several of whom still remained at 
the little village of Newmarket close by, too severely wounded 
to be removed by the enemy. This done, the column resumed 
its march, and on the evening of the 2d of June, encamped 
near Harrisonburg. Here, many of the wounded of the late bat- 
tle were found, among whom were Lieut.-Col. William S. Lin- 
coln of the ;34th Mass., Lieut. R. W. Walker, and many others. 
The column resumed its march the 4th, via Mount Crawford 
and Port Republic, and reached the vicinity of Piedmont with- 

(;il6) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 317 

out encountering anything of note. The shrill notes of the bugle 
aroused us at four o'clock on the morning of the 5th, and soon 
after we were again on the road taking the direction of Staun- 
ton. The infantry marched in two columns, one on the right, 
the other on the left o'f the road; a body of cavalry moved in 
advance, while the road was occupied by the artillery and 
ordnance train. In this order we moved through a wooded 
country; and at times the skirmish fire in front was truly lively. 
Skirmishers were thrown out on either flank and we pushed 
on rapidly, until we came in sight of Piedmont. Here the 
enemy showed more strength; his artillery opened a well 
directed fire, and our own artillery responded as fast as the 
batteries came up. Soon the foggy atmdfephere cleared, the sun 
shone out warm and bright, and, as the battle increased, things 
began to have a more cheerful appearance. With but little 
supper and less breakfast, it is a great relief to be ordered to 
take command of the skirmishers at the commencement of a 
battle, but this was the writers orders. A strong line of skir- 
mishers were pushed forward and the advance posts of the 
enemy were driven back on his main body, which was strongly 
posted on elevated ground in front of the village of Piedmont. 
They had hastily constructed breastworks of logs, rail fences, 
and such other material as came to hand. These defenses were 
musket-proof, but our artillery made sad havoc with them, and 
made it hot for their defenders. The enemy concentrated his 
force on our right wing, and pressed it hard, but was forced to 
retire. The battle continued, neither party gaining decisive 
advantage, till about 3 p. m., when Colonel Thoburn's brigade 
was moved over from the left to strengthen the right of our 
army. The 34tli Mass. of this brigade was detached and, 
supported by the 54th Pennsylvania, was led by Colonel Wells 
up a ravine between two hills, thereby piercing the enemy's 
center, and from that position was enabled to flank the left 
wing of the enemy. This movement was made with great 
rapidity, and, strange to say, was totally unobserved by the 
enemy. These two regiments changed directions, and charged 
with a cheer up the hill and on the flank of the rebel left wing. 
They were received with a deadly volley of musketry, the 34th 
losing its color bearer and many men, killed and wounded. 
This did not check the impetuosity of the charge, and after a 
severe but brief hand-to-hand struggle the enemy gave way 



318 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

and fell back, at first stubbornly, then more rapidly, but finally 
scampered off the field, leaving it strewed with dead and 
wounded, besides 1000 prisoners in our hands. The victory was 
complete, and all seemed to feel that the defeat at Newmarket 
had been fully avenged. 

Before night, the Gth, the victorious column had reached 
Staunton, the first Federal force within that place since the 
opening of hostilities. Our army remained at Staunton till the 
morning of the 10th. It was employed during this time in 
gathering provisions, destroying the railroad and canal, and 
everything that belonged to the Confederate government, or 
that in any way would tend to its advantage or support. Sev- 
eral miles of the Virginia and Tennessee railroad were 
destroyed, the rails and ties being torn up, and the road 
rendered unserviceable. While the force lay at Staunton it was 
joined by General Crook, commanding a division of infantry, 
and General Averill with a small division of cavalry, with the 
usual proportion of artillery from the valley of tlie Kanawha. 

From Staunton we advanced through the country in three 
columns, Crook to the right, Hunter center, and Averill the 
left. In this manner we moved through Fairfax and Lexing- 
ton. At the latter place we burned the Virginia Military Insti- 
tute buildings, several mills, and large warehouses, Governor 
Letcher's residence, and a very large quantity of military sup- 
plies. We crossed the James river at Buchanan, the night of 
the 14th and ascended the Blue Mountains by a steep and cir- 
cuitous route to " Peaks of Otter." We passed Liberty late the 
16th, and by the afternoon of the 17th were driving General 
Breckinridge's forces back upon Lynchburg. An hour or two 
more of daylight and Lynchburg would have been ours. By 
the sound, train after train arrived during the night, and we 
could hear the troops they bore moving out, and working dili- 
gently on the defenses of the place. Our infantry lay in a nar- 
row skirt of woods, with a high hill in the rear, and a formid- 
able redoubt on another hill in our immediate front, and within 
easy rifie range. Our skirmish line ran along on the face of 
the hill, the summit of which was crowned by the enemy's 
earthworks, and was so close up to the latter that it left no 
room for an opposing line on his part, but the parapet of his 
works gave ample cover to his sharpshooters, and, when early 
morning lighted up the scene, they were not slow in letting our 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 319 

skirmishers know that they were "thar." A little further to the 
left the woods extended a couple of hundred yards further to the 
front, and the extreme edge of this wood was here occupied by 
our line of skirmishers. Several of our rifled batteries occupied 
the high hill in the rear of our infantry. All through the early 
morning, supreme quiet reigned along the lines, and it was not 
till about sunrise that it was broken by the enemy, who opened 
with his artillery from the earthwork in front of us. Our guns 
on the hill in the rear promptly responded, and for some time a 
roaring artillery fire was kept up on both sides. The enemy 
having ascertained the position of our batteries after a while 
ceased firing, except an occasional shot; and our gunners soon 
became correspondingly inactive. The enemy must have felt, 
as well as seen, the effects of our practice, for, while the can- 
nonade continued, shells could be constantly seen tearing up 
the parapet of his works, or exploding among the defenders. 

About noon all was unusually quiet along the front. The 
artillery on both sides had entirely ceased, and, except the 
occasional crack of a rifle, scarcely a sound disturbed the midday 
quiet. One unaware of the fact would scarcely believe that 
two hostile forces lay confronting each other and ready in a 
moment to enter into deadly combat. Now, away to the left, 
the roar of Duffie's cannon suddenly breaks the oppressive still- 
ness, and a moment later the "rebel yell" ran along the 
enemy's lines. They come — the gray, the brown, the " butter- 
nut"' commingled, but in splendid military order. Howling forth 
that hideous yell, they rushed madly on, unchecked by the gall- 
ing and rapid fire of our well-trained skirmishers. Suddenly 
there is a deafening roar and the ground trembles with the con- 
cussion; our artillery on the hill in the immediate rear opens on 
them; great gaps are cut in their ranks; that high-toned yell 
growls fainter. But still they come, closing up the gaps as they 
advance. Now, " Forward the infantry," rings along our lines, 
and as the line of blue issues from the woods, it pours in a 
deadly volley, and, advancing rapidly, continues the fire. The 
line of gray reels, staggers, hesitates, and, terribly thinned, 
gives way before the advancing blue. They are swept over and 
into their first line of defenses. The starry flag of the llGth Ohio 
is seen for a short time waving on their parapet; but orders are 
given to withdraw, and, leaving a strong line of skirmishers, 
our infantry retire to their former place. 



320 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



It was a terrible hot brush; the charge on the part of the 
enemy was made with a sort of dare-devil recklessness, and our 
artillery, at almost point blank range, mowed them down fear- 
fully, and when this fire was supplemented by that deadly 
volley from the advancing infantry, they must have been more 
than mere men to have stood up under it. Our loss was con- 
siderable, but that of the enemy must have been much greater. 
The fighting was obstinate and the battle well contested all 
along the lines, and on our left it was particularly severe. The 
contest lasted altogether two or three hours — in fact, heavy 
skirmishing continued till nearly dark and did not altogether 
cease till the darkness prevented the riflemen from taking 
accurate aim. 



Xhe Prisoner's Lament. 

[Writteu by a member of the ."tli Ind Cav , wlio died one month afterwards at Andersouville,Ga ] 




^riEN ouv country called for men, 
We came from forge, and store, 
and mill ; 
From workshop, farm, and factory, 

The broken ranks to fill. 
We left our quiet, happy homes 

And ones we loved so well. 
To vanquish all the Union foes 

Or fall where others fell. 
Now, in prisons drear we languish. 

And it is our constant ciy, 
Oh, ye who yet can save us. 

Why will ye leave us here to die ? 

The tongue of slander tells you 

That our hearts were filled with fear ; 
That all or nearly all of us 

Were captured in the rear ; 
But the scars upon our bodies. 

Of musket ball and steel, 
The missing legs and shattered arms 

A truer tale will tell. 
We have tried to do our duty 

In the sight of God on high ; 
Oh, ye who yet can save us, 

Why will ye leave us here to die? 



There are hearts with hope still beat- 
ing 

In each pleasant Noi'thern home ; 
Watching, waiting for the loved one 

Who may never, never come. 
In prisons drear we languish. 

Meager, tattered, pale, and gaunt ; 
Growing weaker day by day. 

With pinching cold and want. 
Brothers, sons, and husbands. 

Poor, helpless, captured lie ; 
Oh, ye who yet can save us. 

Why will ye leave us here to die ? 

From out our prison's gates 

There is a graveyard close at hand. 
Where lie thirteen thousand Union men 

Beneath the Georgia sand. 
Scores are added daily, 

As day succeeds each day, 
And thus it will be ever. 

Until all have passed away. 
The last can say, when dying, 

With upturned and glazing eyes. 
Both love and faith are dead at home — 

They leave us here to die. 



CHARGE OF THE STAR BRIGADE, 

1st Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Corps, 

AX *COLE)*I-IARBOR. 



THE MOST HEROIC AND BLOODY ACT OF THE WAR. 

June 3, 1864. 
By W. P. DERBY, 37th Mass. Jieffiment. 



W^s>^\\X\\'V\VVv\XVNVvW\'^T 



f GENERAL attack upon 
the rebel Hues at Cold 
Harbor had been ordered 
for 4 P. M., but a severe thun- 
der-storm, accompanied by 
heavy wind, set in previous to 
that hour and continued into 
the night, so that the time of 
the assault was changed to 
4.30 A. M. the following day. 

At early light the Star Bri- 
gade quietly awoke, hastily par- 
took of hard-tack and coffee, 
and at once moved a half mile 
to the left and front. A heavy 
artillery fire at this time opened 
along our whole line. The 37th 
Mass. Regt. now advanced as 
skirmishers, followed closely 
by the Star Brigade in mass 
by division, and, moving rap- 
idly across an open field, en- 
tered a piece of timber and 
followed a ravine to a point 
near the edge of the woods. 
The orders from headquarters 
required no concert of action 
by the various corps. 




PREPARATIONS FOR STORMING 
THE enemy's works. 

The place assigned the 18th 
Corps to assault was an angle 
in the enemy's works, easterly 
and but a short distance from 
Gaines Mill. The hostile 
works consisted of substantial 
converging infantry parapets, 
with powerful profile skirting 
the crest of a low hill, which 
seemingly rose fifteen feet 
above the field before it. The 
apex of the angle was toward 



21 



(321) 



322 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

the enemy, and just in the rear of its convergence, and some- 
what elevated, was a fort mounting several guns. Back of the 
works were to be seen nine stands of colors, representing as 
many regiments of Gen. R. H. Anderson's rebel corps, who 
were there to defend them. The field between the opposing 
forces was about three hundred and fifty yards wide; it was 
traversed by a ravine and dotted with stunted oak and apple 
trees. The rebel troops defending this position were Field's 
division of Anderson's corps, and consisted of Gen. E. M. Law's 
brigade, 4th, 15th, 44:th, 47th, and 48th Ala. Regts., and Gen, G. 
T. Anderson's brigade, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th, and 59tli Ga. Regts. 

The troops selected from the 18th Corps to assault this angle 
were the Star Brigade of Martindale's division, commanded by 
Gen. George J. Stannard, as brave and effective an officer as 
ever took the field. The brigade consisted of the 23d, 25th, and 
27th Mass., the 9th N. J., and the 55th Penn. Regts. The first 
four had been shoulder to shoulder since the autumn of 1861; 
the latter had joined since the last battle. This brigade took 
position in the woods, the 27th Mass. on the right front, sup- 
ported by the 55th Penn., the 25th Mass. on the left front, 
supported by the 23d Mass. The formation was by divisions of 
two companies. 

Shortly after 5 a. m. the artillery duel ceased, and the 27th 
Mass. advanced. After a brief consultation by the command- 
ing generals, their voices rang out on the morning air. 

It was a moment of supreme impulse, of magnetic enthu- 
siasm, of royal ambition, of consecrated patriotism. With a 
bound and a Union cheer, the brigade cleared the woods and 
the undergrowth skirting its edge and entered the open field, 
in full sight of the enemy and within easy range of their guns. 
Instantly the ground was covered by a hostile storm of iron 
enfilading every foot of advance; double-shotted rebel guns 
hurled grape, canister, and shrapnel, and the earth quivered 
under the mighty shock of battle. Into the riven field swept 
the assaulting column, unmoved by the fearful storm, and soon 
cleared the first line of rifle-pits. They now entered musket range 
and, to the howl and groan of heavy ordnance, was added the 
hum of "minies" and t-zip of bullets; but with majestic tread 
the Star Brigade rushed onward " into the jaws of death." On- 
ward they swept, though every step was stained with blood. 
Onward, though Death gathered his harvest with overflowing 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 323 

hand and comrades fell as seared leaves before an autumn 
blast. Great ugly gaps rent in the line were quickly closed by 
the comrades of the fallen. They were now well within the 
angle and within about fifty yards of the desired goal. With 
an energy born of despair the enemy seemingly redoubled their 
efforts and hurled murderous volleys in quick succession. The 
brigade was already terribly defeated, but, blind to this, they 
plunged into the field beyond, unconscious of what was clear 
to their commanders and to the supporting divisions, that their 
depleted ranks would be in numbers no match for the enemy 
behind the works, were it even possible to reach the hostile 
line. A few steps more of advance and a fire more devastating 
than before swept the field, and, like a wave shorn of its 
strength, the column faltered and sank to the ground, the dead 
and wounded literally piled upon each other. With a spirit 
that has immortalized the brigade, the living extricated them- 
selves from the mass of slain and again struggled against the 
iron storm, — crouching to escape its fury, — not ready yet even 
to acknowledge defeat in an open field — 

" Thrice the assailants shook them free. 
Once gained their feet and twice their knee " — 

until the crumbling ranks sank under the withering fire, 
unable to reach the goal or to retrace their steps to friendly 
shelter. There were thousands of details, tens of thousands of 
episodes, along the Union front, but the fact was tliis: that rush 
carried the Star Brigade butt-up against a line of works which 
they were unable to carry, or, if carried, hold. Conceive the 
fierce onslaught amidst deafening volleys of musketry, thunder- 
ings of artillery and the wild, mad rush of battle; see the ranks 
mown down as they contend for every inch they advance until 
the lines crumble and break before the iron hail. Conceive of 
all this, and you will be able to individualize acts as they oc- 
curred along the line. Each man of the Star Brigade was a 
host, and the sum of their heroism an immortal action. 

UPON THE FIELD. 

It was impossible for the brigade to retrace its steps 
without doubling the loss already sustained, hence the men 
threw themselves upon the ground and sought such protection 
as its surface might afford. So fierce and unsparing was the 



324 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

musketry that the slightest movement was at the risk of life. 
The living clutched the ground, not knowing that many around 
them were dead. Some worked the soil from beneath them 
and settled their bodies into the ground, and not a few so ar- 
ranged the bodies of the dead that the living could crouch their 
heads behind them for covert and defense. The surface of the 
field seemed instinct with life from the incessant plowing of 
shot and shell. The air was alive with all mysterious sounds, 
and death in every one of them. There were muffled howls 
that seemed in rage because their missiles missed you; the angry 
cry of the familiar minie; the t-zip of the common bullet; 
groans and the great whirring rushes of shells. Then came 
the dreadful " Whitworths," which made the air instinct with 
warning or quickened it with vivid alarm — long wails that 
fatefully bemoaned the deaths they wrought, fluttering screams 
that filled the space with horror, and cries that ran the diapason 
of terror and despair. 

Above the din of battle came the wail of the wounded and 
the heart-rending cry, "Water! water! give me some water! " 
for nothing so tortures the wounded as the intolerable thirst 
caused by the ebbing tide of life. There was a lack of all nurs- 
ing, a lack of all care, until fifteen tedious hours had dragged 
their weary length, when, under cover of the dusk of evening, 
they tenderly gathered their wounded and cautiously worked 
their way back to the point from which they had made the 
fatal charge. 

As the column retraced its course to the rear, it was their 
fortune to pass the left of the 6th Corps, many of whom grasped 
their hands in cordial sympathy and exclaimed, "If you are 
'parlor soldiers,' you charge and fight like h — 1!" The assault 
had cost them 98 killed, 356 wounded, and 38 prisoners out 
of a total of about nine hundred men who participated in 
the charge. The fighting for the day was practically over by 
7.30 A. M., but in that time the Union army had lost 13,000 
men, while the enemy had lost but 1,100 men. Of this charge 
might well be applied the comments of the French general upon 
the charge of the Light Brigade at Balaklava, "It was doubt- 
less magnificent, but such a waste of men is not war!" 



ulge m 0f # tSe # |itcar # brigade, 

AT COLD HARBOR. 

JUNE 3, 1864. 

By GEN. P. D. BOWLES, Commanding the Confederate Forces. 



1 FOUND on bringing my regiments into the works that the 
men were four deep. I ordered three of every four of the 
^^ men to set themselves under cover of the fortifications and 
load for the fourth one, who was to stand at the works and fire 
his gun and then hand it back to those in the rear to reload 
while he was to have a freshly-loaded piece as rapidly as he 
could fire. 

We were not long waiting. Soon the woods in our front re- 
sounded with cold, mechanical huzzas, as if from myriad voices, 
and a general advance was made along the whole line. I 
ordered my men to hold their fire until the Federals came 
within seventy yards of our works, when I gave the command 
to fire. The Federals were advancing all this time without any 
caps on their guns and not a shot had come from the Union 
lines save those from a six-gun battery in my front, which was 
bursting shells over our heads and in our rear. Our artillery 
was not idle, but firing double- shotted canister, and at the dis- 
tance of one hundred yards was cutting wide swaths through 
their lines at every fire, literally mowing them down by the 
dozen, while heads, arms, legs, and muskets were seen flying 
high in air at every discharge. 

We were not long in discovering that there was no child's 
play awaiting us. We were opposed to a brave, determined, 
and gallant foe. The wide lanes made in their column were 
quickly closed, while on, on they came, swaying first to the 
right and then to the left, like great waves of the sea, until one 
upheaval from the rear would follow another, hurrying them 
nearer and nearer to our works. There was a ravine with a 
marsh in General Anderson's front. Here the enemy surged 
to the right to obtain shelter from the musketry of my men, 

(82.0) 



326 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



only to be raked by the artillery and leaden hail from Anderson's 
brigade. At this point the dead were piled upon each other five 
and six deep, and the blood ran down the gully past our lines. 
. . . Such invincible resolution I never saw before or since. 
They advanced again and again only to be shot down until the 
ground was blue with the dead and wounded. ... It was 
the most sanguinary charge of our civil war, and no more 
heroic act was performed by either side during that unhappy 
struggle, than on the part of the Federals which I have just 
described. 



Olk IVIarster— Ko' de War. 



BY W. P. CARTER. 



tLE Marster comin' fru de bars, 
Don't yer hear dat horse a 
snortin' ? 
Shiiv dem marbuls in yer pocket, 
Shet vip and liishe dat torkin'. 
Drap dat lioe agin deni taters. 

Horsewhip mighty coolin'; 
Ole Marster sorter curus 

When he ketch de nigger fulin'. 

Hi, looker yonder, Ephrura, 

B'leve he gone down in the medder ; 
Jes' fotch dem marbuls out agin — 

We'll hav' a game togedder. 
Wish I was white fokes — 

Eatin' sweet cake and muffin, 
A-bossin' uv de niggers, 

llidin' roun' an' doin' nuffin'. 

Ole Marster luv de blooded horse, 

Got plenty in de stable, 
Bit an' stirrups shiuin' 

Like silber on de table ; 
Ride ober de odder place, 

Pocket full uv money ; 
Arter while he come back home, 

And buck dat peach and honey. 



Ole fiel' lark sing pooty chune 

Ebry Sunday mornin'; 
Brer Ambrose at de meetin' house. 

To gib de niggers warnin'; 
Ole Marster at de big chuch, 

Wid de 'ligious an' de sinner. 
An' den he fotch de preacher 

An' all de people home to dinner. 

Ole Marster got a heap uv land. 

And money widout figgers ; 
Ole fiel' full ub sheep and things, 

And quarter full uv niggers ; 
He treat de black folks mighty well, 

'Pears like 'tis in he nacher ; 
Oberseer play de debbil dough. 

When he at de Legislacher. 

Ole Marster wor' de high black hat 
And standin' up shirt collar — 

Shuv dem marbuls in yer pocket, 
Dat de oberseer holler ! 

Don't yer hear him hine de 'backer 
house ? 
Cowhide soon be rulin'; 

Oberseer mons'us curus 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



327 



BARBARA KRIKTCHIK. 



BY J. G. WHITTIER. 



y/^l ^P from the meadows rich with 
Qi\^ corn, 
Clear in the cool Sejitember morn, 

The chistered spires of Frederick stand, 
Green-walled by the hills of Maryland. 

Round about them orchards sweep, 
Apple and paacli tree fruited deep. 

Fair as a garden of the Lord 

To the eyes of tlie famished rebel horde, 

On that pleasant morn of the early fall, 
When Lee marched over the mountain 
wall ; 

Over the mountains, winding down. 
Horse and foot into Frederick town. 

Forty flags with their silver stars. 
Forty flags with their crimson bars. 

Flapped in tlie morning wind ; the sun 
Of noon looked down and saw not one. 

Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then. 
Bowed with her fourscore years and ten. 

Bravest of all in Frederick town. 
She took up the flag that men hauled 
down ; 

In her attic window the staff she set. 
To show that one heart was loyal yet. 

Up the street came the rebel tread, 
Stonewall Jackson riding ahead. 

Under his slouched hat left and right 
He glanced — the old flag met his sight. 

" Halt ! " the dust-brown ranks stood 

fast ; 
" Fire ! " outblazed the rifle blast. 

It shivered the window, pane and sash, 
It rent the banner with seam and c:ash. 



Quick as it fell, from the broken staff 
Dame Barbara snatched the silken 
scarf ; 

She leaned far out on the window sill, 
And shook it forth with a royal will. 

" Shoot, if you must, this old gray head, 
But spare your country's flag ! " she 
said. 

A sliade of sadness, a blush of shame, 
Over the face of the leader came. 

The nobler nature within him stirred 
To life at that woman's deed and word. 

" Who touches a hair of yon gray head 
Dies like a dog ! March on ! " he said. 

All day long thro' Frederick street 
Sounded the tread of marching feet ; 

All day long that free flag tossed 
Over the head of the rebel host ; 

Ever its torn folds rose and fell 

On the loyal winds that loved it well, 

And through the hill gaps, sunset light 
Shone over it with a warm good-night. 

Barbara Frietchie's work is o'er, 
And the rebel rides on his raids no 
more. 

Honor to her! and let a tear 

Fall, for her sake, on Stonewall's bier ! 

Over Barbara Frietchie's grave. 
Flag of Freedom and Union, wave ! 

Peace, and order, and beauty draw 
Round thy symbol of light and law, 

And ever the stars above look down 
On thy stars below in Frederick town ! 



ASSAULT ON THE STAR BRIGADE, 

BEFORE PETERSBURG. 




TTTXTE 1.3, 3.Qe-4. 




W. F*. DERBY, STtli ]Vl£issaclnu.setts Regiment. 




3.30 A. M., the 18th of June, 1864, the 27th Mass. 
Reg't., now numbering 199 men, was aroused from 
its bivouac before Petersburg, Va., and, partaking 
of scanty rations, fell into line, and waited until 9 
A. M., before ordei-ed to advance. The first line of 
rebel works was found deserted. The 27th then 
halted upon a knoll in the rear of the residence of Colonel Pace, 
known as "Greencroft," and were ordered not to leave the line 
and to be ready to move at a moment's notice. 

Soon after noon Steadman's brigade made a gallant but un- 
successful assault upon their front, and at 2 p. m. Lieut. James H. 
Fowler of Co. F, acting aide to General Stannard, brought orders 
for the 27th Mass. and 55th Penn. to charge, with the under- 
standing that when reaching Steadman's position, his brigade 
would rally and rejoin in the assault. The ground declined 
before us until reaching a sharp knoll; upon the crest of this 
was a Virginia fence, from which the ground again descended. 
Beyond this was a field of growing oats, about ready to head, 
and then the enemy's works, the entire distance being about 
five hundred yards from our position. At the word of command 
the 27th Mass. sprang forward at trail arms, double-quicked up 
the abrupt ascent, scaled the fence and rushed down toward 
the field of oats. At the moment of reaching the fence, the 
enemy opened a rapid and murderous fire. Still the order was 
'• Forward! " and, moved by an irresistible impulse and an un- 
swerving courage, the column pressed forward into the grain, 
our course trailing with the forms of dead and mangled com- 
rades. Onward, till every officer was wounded but Lieutenant 

(328) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 329 

Jillson, and he endeavoring to aid Lieutenant Cooley from the 
field. Onward, under sergeants, until these too had been 
largely slain. Volley after volley at close range swept the line 
in quick succession, cutting great gaps in the column. We 
passed the position where Steadman's brigade lay, but we passed 
them but a short distance only before a sweeping blast brought 
our line to the ground like reeds before a tempest. It was well 
that the oats offered friendly shelter, for this in part protected 
us from the direct fire of the enemy. Endurance, valor, and 
courage had been taxed to their utmost, bat in vain. It was the 
work of a few moments, but our repulse was complete. 

Captain Moore had been wounded soon after passing the 
fence. Capt. William McKay was wounded in the side, Lieut. 
S. P. Cooley received a severe wound in the side, and Lieuten- 
ant Jillson was urging him to go to the rear. " You are the 
only officer left," said Cooley, "and I will not leave you, 
Jillson." At that moment Lieutenant Cooley received a severe 
wound in the shoulder also, and fell into Jillson's arms and was 
borne off the field. The lifeless bodies of Sergeants Brewer, 
Meacham, and Col well, with Corporals Eggleston and Oaks 
and many others marked the line of our perilous advance. The 
two Brewer brothers of Granville lay near each other in the 
embrace of death, having fallen within a few seconds of each 
other. Bolio, Dunakin, and Prior, of Co. D, were lying near 
by. The enemy poured their shot around us, and we seemed in 
danger of extinction. A furrow through the field served as a 
partial protection from the iron storm, and bayonets and cups 
were briskly, used to draw the earth from under us and place it 
upon the exposed side. Others as at Cold Harbor sought shelter 
behind slain comrades and strengthened the human breast- 
works by throwing dirt against the bodies. 

It seemed as if the sun was standing still a second time, and 
this time for the benefit of the Amorites. Napoleon at Water- 
loo never longed for night to come more than these battle-staid 
soldiers on that fatal field. To advance was death or capture; 
to retreat would double the loss already sustained. The waving 
grain in part shielded us from the enemy's eye, but it also pre- 
vented the air from reaching us, so that we almost broiled under 
the rays of the sun. As darkness settled upon the field the 
living and wounded worked their way back as best they could. 
Sergeant-Ma j or Tryon was severely wounded in the leg. He 



330 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



refused assistance because it would expose those aiding him 
and because others might be more in need of aid. He crept 
back dragging his limp and helpless limb. Sergeant Everton 
had a musket ball pass completely through him from side to 
side, making a wound almost identical to that received later by 
President Garfield. He checked the flow of blood until dark, 
and then with his gun for a crutch hobbled to our lines. 

The next morning Sergeant Peck presented General Stannard 
the morning report — with a list of the killed and wounded of 
the previous day — signed by himself. " Where are your com- 
missioned officers?" asked General Stannard. A look in the 
hospital would have answered the question. 



I 





WANTED TO RALLY. 



A SOLDIER was going off the 
field too hastily, when the pro- 
vost guard cried : " Halt ! " " Can't." 
"Wounded?" "No." "Sick?" "No." 
"What's the matter?" "I'm scared, 
and want to go to the rear to — ralli/ ! " 




A NOVKIv SABKR. 



(T)M0NG the relics of the late war, 
itjL stowed away in the United States 
Ordnance Museum on Seventeenth 
street, is a saber, fully five feet long, 
which was found on the battle field of 
Manassas. This formidable looking 
weapon was evidently made in some 
village blacksmith's shop from the 
fabled ploughshare at the outbreak of 
the war, and its handle appears to have 
been carved with a jack-knife from a 
cow's horn. A Virginian who visited 
the museum last week recognized the 



saber as one that had been used by a 
giant Virginia cavalryman in "Jeb" 
Stuart's command. 

" The cavalryman in question," said 
the Virginian to the Hatchet, "was 
nearly seven feet high and broad in 
proportion. He had that big saber 
made by a crossroads horseshoer, and 
promised to hew his way through the 
Yankee lines with it and enter Wash- 
ington, but, poor fellow, he was shot at 
Manassas before he could carry out his 
rash purpose." 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



331 



An Answer to the " Blue and the Gray." 



WRITTEN BY A LOYAL LADY. 



'^JifillE loyal blue and the traitor gray 
^S Alike in the grave are sleeping; 
Lying side by side in the sunlight's ray 
And under the storm clouds' weeping. 
'Tis well to forgive the past, 

God giving us grace we may, 
But never while life shall last 
Can we honor or love the gray. 

Our Boys in Blue were loyal and true, 
For their God and their country dy- 

ino' ■ 

With a grateful pride that ever is new 
We garland their graves where they're 
lying. 
They were murdered by rebel 
bauds, 
They fell in the fearful fray. 
Guarding our flag from traitors' 
hands; 
We do not love the gray. 

We would not hate them, our hearts 
would fain 
Cast a veil o'er their shameful story; 
It will not bring back our loyal slain, 
To recall their treason gory ; 
But barriers deep and wide 

Divide the false from the true ; 
Shall treason and honor stand side 
by side, 
Is the gray the peer of the blue ? 



Answers each loyal heart to-day, 

They are peers and equals, never ; 
No wreath on a traitor's grave we lay, 
Let shame be his weed forever. 
Give love where love is due, 

To the loyal all honor pay ; 
Love and honor belong to the blue, 
But what do we owe the gray? 

We owe them three hundred thousand 
graves, 
Where the loved and lost are lying; 
We owe them, where'er our banner 
waves, 
Homes filled with tears and sighing. 
Do they think that we forget our 
dead. 
Our boys who wore the bhie, — 
That because they sleep in the same 
cold bed 
We know not the false from the 
true? 

Believe it not ; where our heroes lie 

The very ground is holy ; 
His name who dared for the right to die 
Is sacred, however lowly ; 
But honor the traitor gray — 

Make it the peer of the blue, — 
One flower at the feet of treason 
lay? 
Never ! while God is true. 





THE BARN CHARGE. 

JUNE 18, 1864. 

A Terrific Fight.— Bravery aud Heroism of E. K. Drew. 

S. C. WHITCOMB, 1st Me. Heavy Artillery. 

^^t^^ - 

N the morning of June 18, 1864, the Brigade, 

od Division, 2d Corps, had intrenched itself 
before Petersburg, Va., at a point about 
half a mile from the Jerusalam plank road. 
A movement of the Union troops farther up 
the line had caused the rebels to abandon 
their works on our immediate front, so 
that we could move about without danger. 
We had been short of rations, but fortune, or the quarter- 
master, had favored us this morning so that we had food in 
abundance. There was a freedom and gayety hardly in keep- 
ing with the stern work just before us, but of that we were 
wholly ignorant. About 4 p. m., " Fall in! " was heard along the 
line, an order most inopportune for men just ready to take a 
beef stew from the fire and for which their mouths were fairly 
watering. Military orders never did sandwich well with half 
cooked or half eaten rations, and so we regretfully left the 
coveted flesh pots and speedily fell into line. Two of the men 
gallantly took their kettles of soup with them, and when we lay 
down after half a mile advance enjoyed a good square meal. 
'Twas well they did, for they were on short rations afterward, 
as soon after both were wounded. A little later we advanced 
to the Jerusalem plank road — one of those sunken roads peculiar 
to the South — and as we marched along we stooped most humbly, 
and for two reasons; first, because ordered to do so to secrete 
our movement, and second because we enjoyed the protection 
the banks afforded. The 1st Me. Heavy Artillery to which I 
belonged had at this time 832 men, and we formed three lines 
in the sunken road while the other three regiments of the bri- 

(332) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 333 

gade formed in our rear, the whole forming a charging column 
six lines deep. The 1st Me. had been one of those big artillery- 
regiments held for the defense of Washington, and these were 
sarcastically known by the men in the field as " Uncle Abe's big 
pets." We had crossed the Rapidan a month before and en- 
tered our first battle — Spottsylvania — 1,800 strong. Our siege 
guns had shrunk to muskets, and by acceptable service in the 
field our pet name had been dropped for a name we love, the 
"1st Me. Heavy Artillery." The order, "Fix bayonets!" was 
given, an order suggestive of work close enough to satisfy the 
itchings of any one spoiling for a fight. The order obeyed, quick 
glances were thrown over the road bank to see what was be- 
fore us. Across a cornfield, slightly ascending, was an em- 
bankment of fresh earth; but though we could see nothing we 
knew that a brave and wily foe was there ready to defend 
them. A full half hour we waited for the next order, the 
purport of which we knew. If you want to know how we felt 
and what we thought of, ask some one who has been there. 
There were blanched cheeks, trembling knees, deep thoughts, 
and silent prayers, but back of all were loyal and courageous 
hearts ready to dare or die. The fence just by the road was 
pulled down to remove obstructions, and orders were given not 
to fire untM the enemy's line was reached. 

The supreme moment came at last and "Forward!" was 
shouted all along the line. Our regiment to a man leaped over 
the bank and with yells started for the enemy, closely sup- 
ported by the next two lines. The embankment in front blazed 
like a volcano and the air seemed full of flying lead and iron. 
The sickening thud of fatal bullets was heard on every side and 
the first line seemed to have melted away before they had 
advanced sixty yards; few indeed of the charging column went 
much farther. The great gaps closed up but furnished more 
victims for the sickle of death. Bullets patted the ground like 
hail in a storm and the whistling of shot and shell in the air 
was fearful and deadly. The writer received wounds in his 
left hand, right breast, and right arm (the latter most serious), 
and fell to the ground. Soon the men began running back, a 
ghastly trail of dead and wounded showing their course. The 
wounded sought shelter between the rows of corn. The writer 
lays modest claim to being a good traveler, and as his legs were 
unharmed, concluded to make one grand break for a place of 



334 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

safety, which proved a success. When he reached the road 
Colonel Champlain commanding the brigade was urging the 
other lines to renew the charge, but, with a loss of 115 killed 
and 480 wounded and missing sustained in our fifteen minute 
adventure, there was little to encourage them. It was a fear- 
ful charge and many of our comrades never were heard from 
after. One incident only. E. K. Drew received a flesh wound 
in his leg, but he had started with the full expectation of seeing 
the inside of the enemy's works; hence with plenty of brave 
blood in him, he pushed on intending to whip the Confederacy. 
He reached the ditch of the rebel works with little of Yankee 
company and received a demand from a rebel officer to sur- 
render, punctuated with such an epithet as makes one mad 
clear through. Eph threw back a fitting answer from the muz- 
zle of his gun, turned, and, with the fleetness of a deer, sought 
the company of more congenial spirits. Half way across the 
field he threw himself upon the ground until the firing abated. 
As he started on his second run for life a wounded companion 
piteously begged him not to leave him there. Eph's heart was 
large and his will and muscles were equal to the occasion. 
Getting the wounded man on his back he made his way to our 
line in safety. Eph is now the Rev. E. K. Drew, and no one 
will doubt but that he honors his calling. The cliarge of the 
2d Corps thus narrated is known by them as the "barn charge," 
from a barn standing upon the field central between the lines 
and somewhat to our left. Behind this barn many of our men 
sought shelter during the charge, but when the enemy concen- 
trated their artillery upon the empty barn that part of the field 
was cleared instanter. 

FIRST THREATS OF DISUNION. 



■'¥'' II ERE were disunionists ready with as God was in the firmament. In 

their thi-eats in the veiy first Con- the following year Richard Henry Lee 

gress which met under the Constitution, said : 

In the Senate, in 1789, Mr. Pierce But- " When we (of the South) attain our 

ler, of South Carolina, flamed away in national degree of population, I flatter 

a discussion on the revenue measures, myself that we shall have the power to 

and threatened a dissolution of the do ourselves justice with dissolving the 

Union, with regard to his State, as sure bond which binds us together." 



MERRIMAC VS. MONITOR. 



A Midshipman's Account of the Battle with the "Cheese Box." 



HOW THE CONFEDERATES EXPECTED TO ANNIHILATE IT WITH ONE 
FELL SWOOP— DETAILS OF THE PROPOSED ENGAGEMENT. 



WHY IT FAILED. 

LIEUT. LITTLEPAGE, Confederate Navy. 





'T&— 2*1-^25" 




fOR some time it was not generally known that 
extensive jjreparations were made in the repair 
^-.y^ of the Merrimac after the fight, so as to have 
the next contest between the two iron-clads one 
of short duration. I was a midshipman on the 
Merrimac when she fought the Monitor, and I 
can say that we were taken wholly by sur- 
prise when the strange vessel put in an appear- 
ance in Hampton Roads. We had sunk the 
Cumberland, caused the Congress to burn, and the Minnesota 
and one or two others to run aground, and on that morning 
when we went out, we thought to finish the Minnesota, Avhich 
had been unable to get itself off the bar. Our first intimat)on of 
the presence of the Monitor was when we saw her run out from 
behind the Minnesota to attack us before we could begin the 
onset upon the Minnesota. We thought at first it was a raft 
on whicli one of the Minnesota's boilers was being taken to the 
shore for repairs, and when suddenly a shot was fired from her 
turret we imagined an accidental explosion of some kind had 
taken place on the raft. 

In the engagement that followed, we were unable to dc 
anything with her, though our guns were served continuously 
and broadside after broadside was discharged. We tried to 
ram her, but found that our prow had been too badly damaged 

(335) 



336 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

by running into the Cumberland on the day before to inflict any 
harm upon the Monitor. She pounded us considerably, but not a 
shot penetrated our armor, though it was loosened and repairs 
made imperative at the earliest moment. Our vessel was leak- 
ing badly, but by active efforts we were enabled to keep her 
from taking too much water. While we had twenty-one of our 
crew wounded, we thought that we had escaped losses in that 
respect in a remarkable degree. Had a shot from the Monitor 
entered one of our port-holes it would have probably killed no 
less than fifty men, for there was a crew of 380 men aboard, so 
that there would be no lack of help when an emergency should 
arise, and we were quite closely packed together. 

THE confederates' PLAN. 

About three o'clock in the afternoon the Monitor withdrew from 
the fight and went over the bar into shallow water where we, 
drawing much more water than she, could not follow. We 
understood that she had run out of ammunition. As we were 
leaking badly and there was no prospect that we would be able 
to reach the Minnesota in the shallow water where she lay, our 
captain gave the order to return to Norfolk, where we immedi- 
ately went into dry dock for repairs. It was fully a month 
before we were ready to go out again, and meanwhile all sorts 
of reports were circulated among the Federals about us. It was 
claimed that we were afraid to show ourselves to fight, all of 
which we only laughed at, feeling that we should soon be able 
to give a good account of ourselves. I think that if the two 
vessels had again met we should have made short w^ork of the 
Monitor. Every bit of our armor had been replaced by plates 
two inches thick, and we had also a large number of shot for 
the seven-inch guns in the form of bolts about two and one-half 
feet in length, pointed with steel, with which we intended to 
make certainly an impression upon the Monitor. Besides all 
these things w-e had organized a boarding party, which was 
divided into several sections. 

It was the plan for the proposed engagement that the Merri- 
mac should at once run alongside of the Monitor. We could 
easily do this, for our engines were more powerful than hers 
and we could make greater speed. Then one section of 
the boarding party would immediately put down gang 
planks, by which the men would speedily get on board the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



337 



Monitor, one section of them taking sledges and iron wedges 
to drive between tlie turret of the ship and her deck, so as to 
prevent it from revolving and pointing her guns at us; another 
party was to run around the turret with a hawser made fast to 
our bow and which was to lie coiled upon deck ready for the 
emergency, and after the circuit had been made of the turret 
the plan was to fasten the other end of the hawser to the 
Merrimac and thus bind the two vessels together. While this 
was going on another party was to rush to the turret and every- 
where else that an opportunity was offered and pour oil down 
into the hold of the Monitor and then set fire to it. Another 
force was to be ready with large tarpaulins to extinguish the 
flames should the crew of the Monitor surrender and it be 
desired to save the vessel. 

But we were disappointed in all this, for when at last we 
were ready and steamed out of Norfolk we found that the Moni- 
tor was, with a number of other Federal vessels, under the 
shelter of the land fortifications. We felt ourselves a match for 
any or all of the vessels, but in no condition to stand the com- 
bined force of the fleet and the fortifications, so we withdrew. 
Then when Norfolk surrendered and there seemed no longer a 
chance for the Merrimac to be of service, she was blown up and 
destroyed. These are a few of the facts connected with that 
fight that have never before been published. 



First Federal Troops in Sarannali. 



g|.EXERAL GEARY'S division, the 
2J, of the 20th Corps, was the first 
to enter the city of Savannah at tlie 
time of its capture by General Sherman, 
and General Geary was made military 
commander of the post. 



Greatest Raid of tlie War. 



g|.EXERAL STONEMAN'S raid into 

Virginia, in December, 1864, and 
the destruction of tlie saltworks at Salt- 
ville, is said to have been the greatest 
raid of the war, and perhaps the great- 
est ever made in the world. 



22 




GAMP FeRD PRIS0N, 

TYLER, TEXAS. 
A New York Soldier's Bitter Experience in that Prison Pen. 

F. F. COGGIN, 166th. New York Volunteers (2d Duryea's ZouaTes). 




'HEN I reached 
Camp Ford, 
which was 
simply a stock- 
ade, inclosing, 
as nearly as I 
can recollect, 
about fifteen acres, and about 
four miles from the town of 
Tyler, there were several hun- 
dred prisoners in the place, 
including the crew of the 
Morning Light, captured at 
Galveston, and also those of 
the gunboats Clifton and Sa- 
chem, taken during the ill-fated 
Sabine Pass expedition. 

They had built comparatively 
comfortable headquarters, — a 
log-house, &c., — cutting their 
timber in the adjacent woods, 
under guard, and bringing it 
upon their backs to the camp. 

The sudden increase of the 
camp had not been provided 
for. The delegation of prison- 



ers captured at Sabine cross- 
roads and Pleasant Hill num- 
bered several thousand, and 
included men belonging to 
the 13th, 16th, and 19th corps, 
General Lee's cavalry division, 
and a part of General Steele's 
forces. 

On our arrival we found no 
shelter, other than the sky. 
Our clothing was of all sorts. 
Some of us had on original 
uniforms, while many had 
parted with their clothing 
and other valuables at the 
"urgent" demand of their cap- 
tors, and had received in 
exchange clothes which had 
survived their usefulness. 

The rations furnished were 
supposed to be one pint of 
meal (cob and all), one-half 
pound of beef, and once in 
a while a few ounces of bacon 
in place of the beef, each day. 
These were supplied when they 



(338) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 339 

felt SO disposed, or the mill hadn't "broken down," or the 
" creek was low," so that the wagon could cross. We also had 
a small ration of salt occasionally. 

The cooking utensils consisted of one skillet to about fifty 
men, and one iron pot to every two skillets, so that at every fire 
you would see a crowd of men waiting for the "dodger" to be 
cooked, so as to obtain the skillet to cook for themselves. 

The weather during the summer of '64 was very warm and 
many deaths occurred in the stockade. There was a so-called 
hospital outside of the stockade, but, judging from the number 
who entered it and the few who came out alive, the motto of 
Dante's Inferno would have been an appropriate inscription for 
its doors. 

The guards were Colonel Sweet's Texans. They had been to 
the front, and used us comparatively well. The pressing need 
of the Confederacy for fighting men resulted in their being 
relieved by conscripts, composed of boy.s under fourteen and 
men over sixty, and their treatment of us was a little short of 
barbarous. One of these guards, a boy about twelve years of 
age, emptied his double-barreled shotgun into a soldier of the 
173d New York, and he gave as a reason for this murder that 
he had promised his mother to "kill a Yankee." On another 
occasion the prison adjutant, — one Lieutenant McCann, who 
never entered the prison except on horseback, revolver in 
hand, — finding at the morning count of prisoners that one of the 
wards was a man short, and having been told that the man 
was sick and lying in a brush hut, he rode up to the hut, 
ordered the man out, and on his not appearing — being in a 
dying condition and unable to rise — he shot him dead, with the 
remark, " I'll learn you Yankees to obey my orders." Only the 
presence of a strong force of armed guards prevented a right- 
eous punishment from being meted out to the murderer then 
and there. These are but two of many incidents which I could 
give to illustrate the vindictive feeling which the guards had 
towards the unfortunate prisoners temporarily left in their 
power. 

The long rows of unmarked graves on the hillside at Camp 
Ford are mute though powerful witnesses of the treatment 
received by the men confined in the "pen." 

Of the thirty-one men who were captured on the 9th of April, 
1864, but four remained to tell the story when we again entered 



340 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

our lines on the 27th of May, 1865. A few escaped, and were 
never heard from; the rest sleep the long sleep that knows no 
waking, on the hillside at old Camp Ford. 

At different times, several hundreds were exchanged, but it 
was my fortune to remain till the final collapse of the rebellion. 
Rumors of a parole were prevalent all through the winter's 
captivity, but it was not until the middle of May, '65, that we were 
notified that we would be paroled and sent to our lines. The 
news seemed too good to be true. That afternoon we were paroled 
and the next morning commenced our march towards Shreve- 
port, where, on our arrival we found things in general dis- 
order. The Confederate soldiers were helping themselves to 
horses and mules and starting for home. 

At Shreveport we were placed upon three steamboats — the 
Nina Lemus, Judge Fletcher, and General Quitman, and started 
on our way down the Red river to " God's countr3^" 

On the morning of the 27th of May, '65, we entered the Mis- 
sissippi under a flag of truce, and found ourselves in the pres- 
ence of a fleet of gunboats over each of which floated the glori- 
ous old flag — the flag for which we had endured so much, and 
whose stripes and stars had been so long only a memory to us. 

We landed on the east side of the river, and found camped 
there waiting to receive us, if I remember rightly, the 48th 
Ohio, with long rows of fires burning, kettles of meat and 
" Lincoln coffee " and boxes of hard-tack. We ate and drank 
our fill for the first time in more than a year. 

This ended my captivity — an experience which I am not 
likely ever to forget. 



->J^|fe^ 



IVLILITrARY ABILITY. 

JOHN E. COOKE (Confederate). 

M 



[,X the Southern army it was the uni- operations directed by Meade, which 

" versal conviction that McClellan's terminated in the victory of Gettys- 

retreat to the James river, after the bin-g, were regarded as in every way 

J^ battles on the Chiclvahominy in superior to the whole series of move- 

1862, was a gi'eater evidence of military ments directed by Generals Pope, 

ability than General Grant's entire Hooker, Burnside, and others in Vir- 

campaign of 1804; and the Federal ginia. 




JULY 9, 1864. 

OBNKRAL KARIvY DKKKATED. 



A Gallant SJiot.—A Hot JPiirstiit. 



LEADEN MISSILES OF DESTRUCTION FLY THICK AND FAST. 
A WONDERFUL ESCAPE. 

W. T. McDOUGLE, Company K, 136th O. V. I. 



§N the evening before the battle of Monocacy we landed at 
the Junction and camped near by, I was on the detail for 
picket, and was placed in charge of the post on the Fred- 
erick City and Georgetown turnpike. During the night noth- 
ing occurred to disturb our peace. The morning dawned with 
a halo of sunshine and beauty. The birds never appeared to be 
so joyful. The large farm house on the hill to our left seemed 
almost a paradise, with its surroundings of horses, hogs, cattle, 
fowls, etc. These things, in the absence of our accustomed 
routine for the past two months, were to me most impressive. 
We could scarcely believe it possible that before the setting of 
the sun this beautiful place would be the scene of such deadly 
strife. At length the clouds began to gather. The refugees 
were coming in in great numbers — men, women, and children, 
old and young, black and white, all with their household ef- 
fects. Firing was heard in the direction of Harper's Ferry, and 
we were told by the refugees that the rebs were coming in 
great numbers. Nearer and nearer came the sound of the distant 
guns, till at length we heard the shrieks of the shells as they 
pierced the air. The enemy massed in our front, and were pre- 
paring for a charge. Their batteries having opened, we were 
greeted with a volley. A cannon ball struck the tree by which 
we were posted; another dropped a few feet to our rear and 
went bounding across the valley like a schoolboy's rubber ball; 
another buried itself in the earth a few feet to our front. All 
was now commotion. The orderlies were galloping from place 

(3il) 



342 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

to place, the officers hurrying hither and thither with their com- 
mands. The pickets were ordered in. I found my regiment 
down on the right, near the river bridge. The regiment was 
immediately ordered to the left of the 1st Brigade, and near the 
picket post we had just vacated. 

An incident occurred on our way which I think will bear 
notice. The enemy, perceiving our move, brought their bat- 
teries to bear upon us. A high board fence was to be crossed. As 
I took hold of the top board I was crowded back by a more anx- 
ious comrade. As he swung himself over the fence his knap- 
sack was riddled with a grapeshot. Again I made the attempt, 
with the same success. But this time my predecessor, as he 
swung himself over the fence, was struck in the left arm above 
the elbow by a grapeshot, his arm falling by his side. I again 
made the attempt and cleared the fence, barely escaping a large 
cannon ball that struck the board from which I had just alighted. 

We found the enemy bearing down hard on the left of the 
1st Brigade. Tliey halted on a hill in our front. A large wash- 
out, with a stiff growth of weeds on its banks, extended up the 
hill. I was among the nine who crawled up in this to surprise 
the rebs, two of the number receiving severe wounds. Judge 
of my surprise when, in a short time, I discovered that the rebs 
had flanked us on the right and gobbled up the most of our reg- 
iment and held undisputed control of the field. I crawled on 
the bank, but could see no chance of escape. I had my gun 
loaded, but in the excitement it occurred to me that I could not 
surrender with a loaded gun. A rebel flag, surrounded by fif- 
teen or twenty of its followers, was on a knoll near by. The 
Confederates did not appear to notice me as I raised my gun 
and sent my best wishes into their midst. I then threw my gun 
and sat down. A prisoner! It was the most horrid thought 
that had ever entered my mind. Never before had I realized 
the blessings of liberty, and now I had a fair prospect of being 
sent to Andersonville, Libby, or some other prison. I could 
not stand it, and springing to my feet and seizing my gun, I 
started for the North. They ordered me to halt, but without 
eJEfect; they sent shot after shot after me, till the air appeared 
alive with missiles, but still without effect. One of them then 
undertook to run me down; but, after throwing away my knap- 
sack, in which were my diary and the picture of "the girl I 
left behind me," I managed to make good my escape. 



THE GREAT MINE ADVENTURE. 




TUNNELING UNDER A REBEL FORT. 

BY A MEMBER OF THE 48th PEyH. INFA.NTRY VOLS. 

^)j lEUT.-COL. Henry C. Pleasants, of the 48th Penn. 

Regt., originated the expedient of a mine. 
^ The distance between our line and the nearest most 

important rebel force was over four hundred yards — too 
great to hope for success when the difficulties to be encountered 
in the way of quicksands, marshes, and discovery by the enemy 
were taken into consideration. Col. Henry C. Pleasants, how- 
ever, cherished the idea. The rebel fort loomed temptingly in 
front, and being a man of energy and practical experience in 
mining operations, and knowing that he would be ably sup- 
ported by his regiment, which was mostly composed of miners, 
he secured permission to commence operations. The work was 
commenced on the asth of June, 18G4, and with such secrecy 
was it conducted that for a long time the project was unknown 
even to those at whose side it was going on. Reports were in 
circulation, but nobody could speak with certainty of the mat- 
ter. One soldier, by whose side a ventilating shaft emerged, 
told his comrades in the most surprised manner that there were 
a lot of fellows under him "a doing something." He knew 
there was, for he could " hear 'em talk." To guard against 
any meeting of our soldiers with rebels, our pickets were or- 
dered to fire continually; hence the never-ending fusillade in 
front of the 9th Corps so incomprehensible to the other corps. 
The enemy suspected at first that the undermining was going 
on, but when several weeks elapsed their suspicions began to 
vanish, especially as their engineers thought the plan unfeasi- 
ble. 

The progress of the work was very slow, and it was not until 
the 25th of July, 1864, just one month after its inception, that it 

(343) 



344 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

was completed. One of the most important points was to ascer- 
tain the exact distance and bearing of the rebel fort. Working 
under ground is literally working in the dark, but the distances 
were laid off upon the ground behind our works, and from these 
lines as bases, and with the angles formed by lines extending 
in the direction of the fort, a simnle geometrical problem was 
formed, the solution of which gave the required distance. The 
different triangulations gave a result of five hundred and ten 
feet. The excavation was commenced in the side of the hill 
whereon our exterior line of works ran. The "gallery" was 
about four and a half feet high, nearly as many feet wide at 
the bottom and two feet wide at the top. The usual army pick 
was not suited to the work, and this difficulty was overcome by 
filing down the flukes to the size of the mining pick. Water 
was met not far from the entrance, and for a time gave no little 
trouble. The floor, however, was planked, and the sides and 
ceiling shored up. A quicksand was also met with, and to ob- 
viate»it the range of the tunnel was curved upward, so that the 
latter half was several feet higher than at the entrance. It 
was easy from June 25 to July 25 to recognize a 48th man by 
his muddy boots. The earth, as fast as excavated, was con- 
veyed in cracker-boxes or half-barrels, to the mouth, where it 
was emptied into bags, which were afterwards used on the top 
of the breastworks. In this manner a suspicious accumulation 
of earth was avoided. The ventilation of the tunnel was 
effected by a shaft sunk to the side of the tunnel, at its junction 
with which a fire-place was built, with a grating opening into 
the gallery; one end of a series of tubes made of pine boards 
was inserted through the earth into this fire-place, where, as 
the air became rarefied and ascended, it created a " suction" or 
draft in the tubes connecting with the gallery. As fast as the 
tunnel progressed, additional tubing was jointed on, and fol- 
lowed the workmen step by step. The smoke from the fire 
could not be concealed; but, to withdraw attention from it, fires 
were kept burning at various points along the line. The light- 
ing of the tunnel was effected by placing candles or lanterns 
along the walls at a distance of ten feet apart. 

At length the end was reached, and the triangulation was 
verified by the noises heard overhead. The nailing of timber 
and jjlanks could be distinctly heard, and left no doubt that 
the men were directly beneath the rebel fort. The enemy were 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 345 

evidently making a flooring for their artillery. As soon as it 
was apparent that the fort had been reached, the construction 
of the mine was commenced. The angle of the fort projected 
toward our lines; and under this angle the tunnel diverged into 
two galleries, each running, as near as could be ascertained, 
under each side. It was the intention that the mine should 
consist of eight magazines, placed at intervals along these 
branch galleries, so that the entire length of the fort might be 
blown up in place of one spot. The' mines were eight in num- 
ber — four in either branch gallery. They were two by two, 
and the explosion resulted in four craters. The explosion of the 
magazines was effected through tubes of pine wood, six inches 
square, half filled with powder. They ran along the bottom 
of the tunnel, and entered the magazines through openings 
made for them. Between each pair of magazines and over the 
tubing was the "tamping" of sand bags and logs. The tubes 
extended only one hundred feet from the mine; thence they 
were connected with the mouth of the tunnel by fuses — the reg- 
ular " sure-fire " coal mining of Pennsylvania. 

The mine was charged on the 27th day of July, 18G4. The 
quantity of powder used was six tons! Think of it. Twelve 
thousand pounds! 

After thirty -two days and nights of constant toil the work 
was complete and only awaited the lighting of the fuse. 



First Men Arrested by Order of First Colors Planted at Chapin'p 
War Department. Farm. 



^ANIELFISII and Dr. Sabot, both gAPT. CHARLES BLUCIIER, 188th 

of New York, were the first men Penn. llegt., planted the first na- 

arrested in the North by order of the tional colors on the rebel fortifications 

War Department. This was on the in the charge of September 30, 180i, at 

24th of April, 1801. Chapin's Farm. 



HIGHEST MARINE RANK. First Vt. Cavalry, Cedar Creek. 



''P'riE rank of vice-admiral, conferred ^^^ regiment captured so much on a 
upon Farragut, was a higher rank single charge as was captured by 

than had ever before been known in this the Ist Vermont Cavalry at the battle 

country. of Cedar Creek, October 19, 1864. 



.^A HOT FIGHT. 



BATTLE OF PEACH TREE CREEK, BEFORE ATLANTA. 

JULY 19, 1864. 
MORITZ TSCHOEPE, Company C, 24th "Wis. 




X FTER a whole series of battles, charges, 
skirmishings, etc., we arrived on the 
evening of the 19th of July, 1864, on the 
bank of Peach Tree creek, and occupied 
some old breastworks. To the right of our 
division camped the 20th Corps, Hooker in 
command of it. On the morning of the 20th we were aroused 
by artillery firing on our left. I saw a whole lot of soldiers 
standing on the breastwork, and I ran up too, to see what was 
up. A battery amused themselves by shelling the rebel picket- 
pits. At last, two pieces of that battery dashed out in full gal- 
lop on the road right in the rebel picket-line, limbered off right 
and left, and shelled the pits. I thought that was a great piece of 
bravery. In the afternoon the bugles "fall in," and shortly 
after we saw the corps advancing in line of battle — skir- 
mishers in front, artillery in the rear — in grand style. We 
crossed the bridge, formed line of battle, and advanced until 
we got in line with the 20th Corps. Our division was more in 
the timber, while Hooker's corps was in open field. Soon our 
skirmishers, who had advanced through the woods, discovered 
Hood's army massed for a grand attack. Skirmishing com- 
menced, and we went to work to build a kind of barricade. 
We did not need to wait long. Our skirmishers ran back, 
the rebel column after them. We received them in good shape. 
On came the enemy again and again, and I could not help 
admiring their bravery, but it was all in vain. They had to 
retreat with terrible loss. Two days after they were more suc- 

(346) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 347 

cessful on our left wing, and had it not been for John A. Logan, 
the Atlanta campaign might have had a far different ending. 
We thought the fun was over, when, all of a sudden, a tremen- 
dous noise broke loose in our rear to the left. Our brigade 
adjutant ordered us back on our left flank, which was only 
covered by a skirmish line till clear back to the bridge, and here 
the rebels were determined to break through, cut us off from 
the bridge, and give us fits. We double-quicked back through a 
regular hail of shot and shell, and re-enforced that thin line 
behind a fence. On the road behind us, ambulances, wagons, 
and stragglers hurried to the rear. 

We put in the best we had, but I believe the rebels would have 
broken through if it had not been for a brass battery, which 
came on in a gallop, posted itself right behind us upon the road, 
and the boys, throwing off their jackets, rolled up their sleeves 
and labored with a will, firing over our heads. We repulsed 
every onslaught until the rest of our corps put in their appear- 
ance, when the battle ended. 



o ■ 



TO NIY WIKK. 

B/ P. WHITNEY, 1st Mass. Cavalry. 
Written in Andersonville Prison, where he soon afterward died. 

CARE not for the rising storm. My gentle wife, my darling wife I 

I do not heed the cold, My soul's own joy and pride ! 

Nor listen to the angry wind Ten thousand blessings on the day 
That roars around the wold ; When you became my bride. 

I only know my journey's o'er, I've never known a weary hour 

For just ahead I see Since I have held your hand — 

The light that tells my little wife I would not change my worldly lot 
Is waiting there for me. For any in the land. 

Oh ! sweetly from her loving lips, 

The blissful welcome falls ! 
There is no hapjiiness for me. 

Outside our humble walls. 
Ah ! sad indeed would be my heart, 

And dark the world would be, 
If not for this dear little wife. 

That ever waits for me. 

Kindness of Jlrs. Ann C. Whitney, Mitchell, Dak. 



l^eGAN AT ATLANTA. 



G-ENERAL IMCPHERSON'S DEATH. 



''WILL YOU HOLD THIS LINE WITH ME?'' 

/ JULY 22, 1864. 

By A. O. S. 





pTl^URING the terrible 
^^ slaughter amidst the 17th 
Corps, General Logan was en- 
gaged along his front with a 
heavy charging column of the 
enemy. While directing op- 
erations on his right, which 
had become extremely hazard- 
ous by the withdrawal of the 
IGth Corps, he received the sad 
intelligence of the death of his 
commanding officer. General 
McPherson, and the order from 
General Sherman to assume 
command of the Department 
of the Tennessee. With sad- 
dened heart and tearful eyes 
he heard the sad news, and, 
reading the order, bowed his 
head upon his breast for a mo- 
ment in deep thought. Then, 
looking up, he exclaimed, 
" Would to God I were better 
qualified to fill the place he so 
filled to perfection." Realizino: 



the immense responsibility now 
resting upon him, he gave a 
hasty order to the general com- 
manding his immediate front, 
put his spurs to his gallant 
black steed, and rode rapidly 
towards the 17th Corps. Lying 
across the railroad was the 2d 
Division, 15th Corps, com- 
manded by Gen. Morgan L. 
Smith, one brigade of which, 
with the batteries of Captains 
De Grasse and Woods, held 
an advanced line. A heavy 
charge made on this advance 
line, captured the artillery 
and a good many of the 
men. The rest precipitated 
themselves upon the main line 
so suddenly as to seriously af- 
fect their morale, causing dire 
confusion, and a stampede. 
General Logan reined in his 
foaming steed so suddenly as 
to set him back on his 



(348) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



349 



haunches. Taking in the sit- 
uation at a glance and compre- 
hending the terrible result that 
would follow the break in the 
lines, he rode, with bared head, 
swiftly among that confused 
mass of soldiers. The super- 
human efforts of General 
Smith to halt his men had 
proved abortive, but now an- 
other character was in their 
midst — an idolized leader was 
there. Witness General Logan 
as he rides among them — hat 
in hand, hair blown back be- 
hind his ears by the wind, his 
long mustache standing out 
almost straight, those eagle 
eyes flashing like flames of 
living fire! Standing in his 
stirrups he presented a figure 
of determination and irresist- 
ible force that carried courage 
and new strength to every 
heart. 

That famous black stallion, 
his war-horse, was infused with 
the same spirit as his rider. 
"Halt!" he cries in stentorian 
tones. Riding up to a color 
bearer, he seizes the colors, and 
his voice peals forth, "Halt! 
are you cowards? Would you 
disgrace the proud name of the 
15th Corps? Remember Mc- 



Pherson and avenge his death! 
Will you hold this line with 
me?"' "Yes, yes, yes," came 
from all parts of the line, and 
back those panic-stricken men 
turned--panic-stricken no more, 
but a brave, determined force 
that under Logan could not be 
moved. Nor were they moved 
again that day, though assailed 
by fearful odds. The dead and 
wounded along their front and 
within their lines showed how 
brave and efficient men could 
be under a leader equal to the 
emergency. The dreadful car- 
nage soon ceased. The enemy 
were completely routed at all 
points. What was a well 
planned attack, and promised 
so much, had turned into a ter- 
rible, crushing defeat. 

The 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 
IGth Corps, were now brought 
over from their position, where 
they had met heavy losses, and 
put in battle order to charge 
the outer lines, which the 
enemy captured from Gen. M. 
L. Smith. Right gallantly they 
went to the charge, recapturing 
both lost batteries and a goodly 
number of prisoners. This 
charge ended the fighting for 
that day. 



The 14tli Corps* Credit. 



First Union OfiBcer Killed in the War. 



"•JpriE 14th Corps was first in the fight 

before Buzzard's Roost, and wound 

up the Atlanta campaign at Jonesboro'. 



I lEUT. JOHN T. GR-EBLE, who fell 
at Big Bethel, was the first Union 
officer killed in the war. 



DEATH OF CAPTAIN GLENN, 

Followed by that of his Servant Mat, who Died from Grief at His Loss. 



BY E. T. B. GLENN. 



_»:^)T(5^ 



TOUCHING incident in 
real life is afforded by the 
death of Capt. Chalmers 
Glenn, of Rockingham County, 
N. C, and his faithful servant, 
Mat. Reared together from 
childhood, Mat had shared in 
all the boyish pranks and frol- 
ics of his master, and in later 
life had been his constant 
attendant and faithful servant. 
On the morning of the battle 
of Boonsboro', Captain Glenn 
called Mat to him and said: 
''Mat, I shall be killed in this 
battle. See me buried, then go 
home and be to your mistress 
and my children all that you 
have ever been to me." From 
behind a rock the faithful fel- 
low watched all day the form 
of his beloved master, as the 
tide of battle ebbed and flowed 
over that eventful field. At 



last he missed him, and, rush- 
ing forward, found the predic- 
tion too truly verified — life 
was already extinct. Assisted 
by two members of his com- 
pany, a grave was dug with 
bayonets, and soon the cold, 
silent earth held all that was 
dearest in life to Mat. Slowly 
and sadly he turned his face 
homeward and delivered all the 
messages and valuables with 
which his master had entrusted 
him. From that time it seemed 
his mission on earth was 
accomplished. Though con- 
stantly attending his master's 
children and promptly obedi- 
ent to the slightest word of his 
mistress, he visibly declined. 
Finally he was taken sick, and 
despite the best medical atten- 
tion and kindest nursing, he 
died February 4, 1863. 



Best Foiiaht Battle of the War. 



Maryland's Brave and Noble Step. 



g|.ENERAL THOMAS'S battle before 
Nashville was the best fought battle 



^y^ARYLAND was the first state that 
ventured by immediate process to 
of the war, and the victory was the put an end at once to the institution of 
most complete of modern times. slavery. 

(350) 



The 78th Oljio Qt Bottle of Bold jtill. 

JVLY 21 AND 22, 1864. 

Hot Kirino at Short Ranok. 



stars and Stripes Captured and Retaken by Hand-to-Hand Fighting. 

W. S. AYEES, Company A, 78th 0. V. V. I. 
-^^■^■a «-»» — <«-» B^ ■ 

(3VpiPANY of the G. A. R. boys remember the desperate 
*^-Tv^ struggle of the 78th at Bald Hill. At a critical point 
c^^^^^ of the fight our regiment changed front at the angle 
in company with the 20th and 30th 111., and we formed on the 
left of the 68th Ohio, which had been away that morning from 
the brigade on detached duty, but had arrived during the early 
part of the fight, and had been stationed on the left of the fort, 
facing south, and had thrown up breastworks in the shape of a 
prolongation of the apron of the fort occupied by the 30th 111. 
We had just formed, with the 20th Ohio on our left and the 
noble old 4th Division on its left, when General Cleburne's 
division made those several assaults which were the forlorn hope 
of General Hood's plans, but which, thanks to a kind provi- 
dence, did not succeed. We were in an open field, about fifty 
yards from the woods, lying flat on the ground, when the John- 
nies came up with their accustomed yell. We waited until 
they got within twenty yards of us before we opened fire; and 
when we did, such slaughter I never saw before or since. 
Their first line was wiped out, but by the time we had sprung 
to our feet and reloaded, another line had come up. We opened 
on it, but it was soon re-enforced by a third line and closed in 
on us. We fixed bayonets and then and there we had it 
with clubbed muskets, fisticuffs, and wrestling. Once they got 
possession of our flag, but it was retaken by the most heroic 
fighting. Again, a big fellow got hold of the switch of the flag 
and tried to take Comrade Russ Bethel along with it, but Russ 

(351) 



353 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



was not to be outdone that way, and jumping forward he landed 
on that fellow's jugular and sent him to grass in one round; and 
McBurney, of Co. H, ran him through with the bayonet, which 
was perfectly excusable in that kind of fighting. Still another 
rebel tried the same tactics, however, and, alas! poor Russ had 
got hit in the shoulder and could not now resort to the same 
defense. His disabled arm was slung in his waist-belt, and he 
was holding on to the staff with his other hand while Mr. 
Johnny was taking the flag and bearer right along when fortu- 
nately, Captain Orr, of Co. H, perceived the situation of affairs 
and rushed up to Mr. Rebel and gave him a crack over the 
head which disposed of him effectually. We succeeded in 
holding that line, but at a frightful cost. 

The morning report of our regiment on the 32d of July 
showed about three hundred men for duty. That of the 23d 
showed less than two hundred. 



SNBsr-K 




■2^B 



AN UNFORTUNATE VICTIM. 



"IjDUT one man was executed in the 
Army of the Potomac up to Febru- 
ary, 1863, for a flagrant crime, and that 
was a case of attempted desertion to 
the enemy. 

First Confederate Arrested for 
Ti'easoii. 



President Lincoln and Hiram Wal- 
bridffe. 



WOX. Hiram Walbridge, of New 
^ York, was the first person to rec- 
ommend to President Lincohi the im- 
portance of securing Beaufort and Port 
Royal, S. C. 

First Confederate Gun at Bull Run. 



"•^f IIE first arrest for treason by the '•^P'lIE first Confederate gun fired at 
Confederates was that of J. W. the battle of Bull Run, in 1861, 



Merriam, collector of the port 
(ieorgetown, S. C, January 7, 18G1. 



of was fired by Lieut. George S. Davidson, 
of Latham's battery. 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



353 



COMPANY K, 



By J. W TEMPLE, Victoria, III. 




/^^Vj ^ A AY up in the North, where 
^-lJ~/\ 7; the giant pines stand, 

Tall sentries of Time set on 
guard o'er the land 
Ere the Genoese sailor, Columbus, was 

born, 
Or Magellan had made his first trip 

round the Horn, 
In the land of the hills, where the breeze 

from the sea 
And the breath of the pines fill the 

lungs of the free, 
When the echoes from Sumter had 

scarce died away, 
Those hills saw the muster of Company 

K. 

Wouldst know, curious reader, of what 

stuff 'twas made ? 
Odd sort of war timber you'll think, I'm 

afraid ! 
Its captain, a deacon, mild-mannered 

and pure, 
Esteemed by his neighbors, beloved by 

the poor ; 
Two stout young lieutenants, brought 

up on their farms, 
Untutored in tactics, and war's stern 

alarms ; 
But who " guessed if square fightin' 

e'er came in their way, 
They could git along somehow with 

Company K ! " 

For " the boys " were their neighbors, 
their schoolmates of yore. 

From the plow and the anvil, the work- 
shop and store ; 

Broad of breast, stout of limb, full of 
frolic and fun. 

Skilled with axe, saw, and spade, — knew 
the use of a gun ; 
23 



Thought that " mebbe them fellers " (so 
much talked about, 

Who bragged of the " Yanks they could 
chaw in a fout," 

And what crack shots they were) might 
happen some day, 

To see " pooty fair shootin ' by Com- 
pany K " ! 

Ah, God only knows of the hearts well- 
nigh broken. 

When the home ties were snapped, and 
the brief farewells spoken. 

And the shrill fife but half drowned 
the sobbing that day, 

As the drum-beat marked time to the 
marching away. 

And the boys noticed then what they 
ne'er saw again, 

'Mid the shrieking of shells or the bul- 
lets' fierce rain, 

(Though he led every charge, and 
braved death in each fray,) 

A pale cheek on the captain of Com- 
pany K I 

Frank reader, confess you'd be bored, 
should I tell 

All the haps and mishaps to their fort- 
unes that fell. 

'Tis said though, that once, in a world- 
famous fight, 

Where the rebel works crowned every 

hillock and height, 
•When the order was given to charge, in 
the face 

Of the death shower poured through 
the brush-tangled space, 

The captain made pause just one mo- 
ment to pray, 

But the first o'er the breastworks was 
Company K ! 



354 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

There came, too, a crisis, — you've read Ah, needless to tell to my comrades in 

it, no doubt,— blue. 
When the rebels had flanked us and Who served the tried Nation's long life- 
put us to rout, struggle through, 
When one veteran chief, like a rock in How deep was their grief w'hen a shell 

the main, tore away 

Braved the fierce tide of battle that From their ranks the loved captain of 

raged o'er the plain ; Company K ! 
Checked the foe, saved an army, and 

gave one name more How gentle those powder-grimed hands 

To the bright roll of heroes evolved by as they bore 

the war, — The captain, all mangled and covered 

'Mid the proud Spartan band who stood with gore, 

firm on that day To the rear ; how they questioned the 

With their dead piled around them surgeon, to know 

stood Company K ! If hope had yet fled — if " the captain 

must go ! " 

When " duty " was done, and the battle How breathless they watched, as in 

had sped, tears they stood by. 

How the good deacon-captain would To catch his last words : " For my 

grieve o'er his dead ! country I die ! 
How he'd tenderly watch with the God help my poor wife ! Boys, I'm sink- 
wounded, and stay ing away ! 
Ill the hospital wards with his sick, Good-by, and my blessing on Company 

night and day. K ! " 
And when, in reward for his courage 

and skill, Long years have rolled by since that 

Promotion and honors awaited his will, sorrowful scene ; 

He sent " thanks to the gin'ral, but The graves of our martyrs are hid 'neath 

guessed he'd best stay the green. 

With the boys, and be capting of Com- The country they died for we lived on to 

pany K " ! see 

Triumphant o'er treason, united, and 

And " the boys " — bless your soul, they free ! 

just worshiped their " pap " ! Let us hope that the brave who to battle 

When the " old man " said " Come, went forth 

boys ! " 'twas " Here's with you. Are enshrined in the warm, grateful 

Cap ! " hearts of the North ; 

No lagging, no shirking, no " playing it And that memory holds 'niong her 

fine," treasures to-day 

When their ears caught his quiet, "Boys, Proud legends of many a "Company 

fall into line ! " K " ! 



Women in the War. 



NVALUABLE SERVICES IN THE TIME OF NEED. 



Woman's Help in the Home, the Hospital, and Upon 
the Battle Field. 

MRS. HELEN N. PACKARD. 



-'^^' '''■i^'"''^^'' ''-^^y-'^i^"- 



w QUARTER of a century 
^■V has passed away and we 
^ are just awakened to a 
recognition of the faithful and 
invaluable services rendered 
by women to the defenders of 
our country. It is fitting that 
we, who have taken up the un- 
finished work, should eulogize 
the services of women in the 
war. Many left comfortable 
and luxurious homes to share 
the privations of the field. 
Tenderly nurtured women, 
whose lives had been guarded 
with jealous care from every- 
thing rude and unpleasant, 
shook off the garments of 
wealth and ease, and stood 
forth heroines for the cause of 
liberty. From the balmy South, 
whose sunny slopes were 
drenched with the warm young 
blood of the North, went up a 

(:15 




wail for the tender hand of 
woman to moisten the lip and 
fevered brow; to take down 
the dying message, and whis- 
per sweet words of a fairer 
land. Before the echoes of 
Sumter had died away, 
women all over the North were 



356 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

scraping lint and rolling bandages, but not until after the fatal 
21st of July did they fully realize the sacred mission which 
awaited them. In answer to this call came wives, mothers, and 
sisters, by the thousand. A large share of these were of a ne- 
cessity rejected. Age, character, and capability w^re the con- 
siderations and those who met the requirements were accepted. 
But now a quei^y went up over all the land: "What can we do? 
We cannot idly fold our hands while the boys at the front need 
so much." The Sanitary and Christian Commissions gave back 
answer, "We will be your servants." Previous to the organiza- 
tion of these charities there had existed very imperfect methods 
of sending supplies to the front, but by the establishment of 
these commissions, — conceived and carried out by the best ex- 
ecutive ability, — the work was systemized and thoroughly and 
faithfully done. 

To Miss Louise Lee Schuyler, of New York, must be given the 
credit of organizing the Sanitary Commission, which was event- 
ually the means of saving thousands of lives. Thousands of 
busy fingers scraped lint and prepared bandages, while tireless 
knitters fashioned the warm hose for weary, blistered feet. 
Others were making underclothing and bedding, while wines, 
jellies, and canned fruits were prepared unstintingly for hospi- 
tal stores. 

But the army nurses! Those brave women, who hourly wit- 
nessed heart-rending scenes; whose life was a daily martyrdom 
in striving to subdue the tender feelings of a woman's heart in 
the stern duties of an army nurse — to those especially our 
thoughts turn at this time. The diary of Mrs. Belle Reynolds, 
of Shelburne Falls, kept for nearly four years, is indeed a reve- 
lation of what they suffered bodily and mentally. The work 
was hard and unsatisfactory, until after the organization of the 
two commissions. Then the work was systemized and order 
took the place of chaos and confusion. Then the tree of charity 
bore abundant fruit, and stretched its huge arms into every 
state in the Union. Each branch sent nurses for its own regi- 
ments, and sanitary supplies direct to them. Pilfering and 
petty thieving among small officials was almost entirely done 
away with. Mother Bickerdike, suspecting a certain surgeon 
of confiscating hospital stores for his private table, visited his 
tent just before dinner and found his table loaded with wine, 
jellies, and other delicacies. She made a clean sweep of the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 357 

good things, saw General Grant, and in twenty-four hours the 
guilty surgeon was under arrest. All honor to Mother Bicker- 
dike! She was loyal, good and true, and many a gray-headed 
veteran now lives to call her blessed. Possessed of great phys- 
ical strength, it was easy for her to lift and carry to the field 
hospital many a poor wounded and dying boy. Culture she 
had not, but native shrewdness and practical good sense were 
her royal birthright. But above all else she possessed a big, 
motherly heart, whose every throb was for the boys in blue, and 
it is our earnest hope that her pathway to the other shore may 
be bright with immortelles of gratitude from the boys she 
served so well. Many of the most devoted of the nurses laid 
down their burdens before the conflict was ended. They died 
upon the field of honor, and 

" Their eulogies are written 
In letters fair and bright, 
On the page of immortality 
In yonder world of light." 

Prominent among those who fell was Anna Maria Ross, 
of Philadelphia. It was mainly through her exertions that the 
famous cooper's shop saloon, of Philadelphia was inaugurated 
and sustained. In October, 1861, she started the hospital in 
connection with the saloon, and for two years labored unceas- 
ingly for the institution. In December, 1863, the overtasked 
body gave way, and she lay down to sleep, and death kissed 
down the eyelids still. As truly as the hero who fell pierced 
with his death shot, she fell, as true a hero as any who died in 
defense of their country. 

It would not be possible to more than touch on the grand 
service rendered by the women in the war. Coming years will 
do them justice and make still brighter the names of Annie Ella 
Carroll, Mrs. Annie Wittenmyer, Anna Maria Ross, Mother 
Bickerdike, Clara Barton, Emily Dance, and hosts of others 
who did loving and faithful service in the nation's struggle. 

Just over the border of our neighboring state has been laid 
to rest in lovely Cedar Hill cemetery, Hartford, Mrs. Harriet 
Foote Hawley, who did as great service for our soldiers as any 
woman of the war. It was her fortune to welcome to Wilming- 
ton, ]Sr. C, 9,000 prisoners from Andersonville; 5,000 of them 
were dying from starvation and typhus fever. Their condition 



358 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



as described by Mrs. Hawley is too horrible to think of. Let us 
draw over such tales of horror the tender mantle of forgive- 
ness, and do our duty to those who yet remain. Mrs. Hawley 
was the bravest and tenderest of nurses. With a slight phy- 
sique and health never firm, she was ever buoyed by her in- 
domitable spirit. She sleeps well, and to-day her grave blooms 
bright with flowers. She who should have been in the prime 
of life, to cheer the declining years of her noble husband, is to- 
day a martyr to the cause they both loved so well. 

There were others who labored unceasingly in the hospitals, 
and who, from experience and training, were able to render 
valuable service to the soldiers. Their war experiences will 
never be written nor their names blazoned on the scroll of fame, 
but their prayers and ministrations lightened many a dark way 
to the unknown land, and many still live to bless and praise 
the noble Sisters of Charity. 




LIBERTY AND FREEDOM. 



I fie # ^olenel ® ^nd @ {^e # ^oMier. 

ELIAS HOWE AND THE ASSISTANT PAYMASTER. 

{^From ilie Si. Paul Dispatch^ 




Stephen A. Walker 
is now United States 
district attorney at New 
/l^ York City. Walker had 
served the Union in the 
innocuous pursuit of assistant 
paymaster. One dark day 
while Mr. Walker was sitting 
in his office wondering how 
long he would be compelled to 
'■' loaf," on account of the ina- 
bility of Uncle Sam to pay his 
boys in blue, a private walked 
in and confronted him. The 
soldier belonged to a Connecti- 
cut regiment. Imagine the 
paymaster's surprise when the 
following conundrum was put 
to him by the soldier: — 

"Say, when do you expect 
to pay us men, anyway ? We 
haven't had a cent now in 
three months." 

The assistant paymaster 
glared at his visitor, and told 
him neither politely nor relig- 
iously that it was none of his 

business. This was far 

from satisfactory, and the sol- 
dier proceeded: — 

" But it is my business, and 
that is why I am here. The 

( 



men are not treated with the 
slightest justice, and if the 
United States ain't able to pay 
them, why you can have a 
draft on a New York bank for 
the amount due my regiment." 

Of course there was no alter- 
native left to Colonel Walker 
but to regard the Connecticut 
private as a crank. It remained 
only to be sure just how dan- 
gerous a crank he was. 

"You'd better get back to 
your camp at once," said the 
paymaster. " Who gave you 
permission to come here, any- 
way? Come, now, get out, 
or I will call the guard and 
have you placed under arrest. 
Git!" 

Suiting the action to the 
word the doughty paymaster 
arose and proceeded to "fire" 
the private. 

"Hold on a minute: take 
your hands off! I tell you I 
mean what I say. I belong to 
the — til Connecticut, and I can 
afford to pay my regiment, if 
there's no objection. Some- 
thing ought to be done, and 
I'm willing to advance the 

559) 



360 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



money. My name is Elias 
Howe!" 

This gave an entirely new 
aspect to the case, and Pay- 
master Walker grew quite def- 
erential. The man who stood 
before 'him was the famous 
inventor of the sewing ma- 
chine. He could pay his regi- 
ment all their back pay ; he 
had the will, and he had the 
money, too. Colonel Walker 
thought an apology was de- 
manded. The apology was 
given and Elias received it 
with the air of a man who had 
but little to forgive. 

" Well, colonel," said he, 
"when this trouble is over I 
want you to step down to ISTew 
York sometime and see me." 

The " colonel" lived then in 
Vermont, and when the war 
was closed he managed to find 



himself in New York. He had 
started a law office ; that is to 
say, he helped to occupy the 
office of a few friends of his. 
Business was not specially 
active. One day Walker 
thought he would step in and 
see whether Elias Howe re- 
called the misadventure of the 
war. Two years had then 
elapsed. Elias Howe was 
there and his memory was 
good. They sat down together 
and talked. Howe was from 
Massachusetts, Walker from 
Vermont. The Howe Machine 
Company had just been organ- 
ized. Walker was appointed 
its attorney. With an office in 
every city, town, and hamlet 
in the civilized world, no won- 
der the Howe Machine Com- 
pany was the foundation of 
Walker's fortune. 



Grant's Ricliniond Caiiipaig'ii. 



Line of Battle Near Richmond. 



TlfHE introductory planned by Grant's 
campaign against Richmond was the 
movement of a cavah-y force around the 
right to demolish the depots of the 
enemy. 



J[N October, 186i, the 16th N. Y. 
Heavy Artillery Regt. claimed the 
honor of forming in line of battle nearer 
to Richmond than any other regiment in 
the Union service had done. 



First Colors Over Court- House, 
Atlanta. 



Tlios. C. Fletcher the Young-est War 
Governor. 



T 



HE OOth N. Y. and 111th Penn. milOMAS C FLETCHER was prob- 

Regts. are entitled to the credit of ably the youngest of all the war 

first raising the stars and stripes over governors. He was the first republican 

the Court House at Atlanta, Ga., when governor elected in a slave state (1864), 

General Sherman captured the city, and the first native Missourian elected 

September 1, 1861. governor of Missouri. 



TORBERT IN THE YaLLEY. 

SEPTEMBER, 1864. 

His^ Jollity* in * Camp * and-J^ Daring ^^in^^ Fight. 



GEXXINO KVEN WITH SHERIDAN. 



Woodstock and Winchester.— The Surprise at Cedar Creek Neatly Prevented. 

By JOHN DANBY, Coles's Maryland Battalion, Attached to Sheridan's Cavalry Corps. 



^HEN General Sheridan 
relieved General Hunter 
in the Shenandoah val- 
ley, in 1864, I was or- 
dered to report to cavalry 
headquarters to do scouting 
duty. I was told to report to 
General Torbert, who was in 
command of the cavalry of 
Sheridan's army. I reported 
to the staff officer of the day 
and was told to "wait until 
called for." I had waited 
about two hours when I was conducted into a room where I 
saw a good-looking, slenderly built man, about thirty years old, 
standing at a table on which were some maps and official look- 
ing documents. He wore a dark blue sailor shirt, black cor- 
duroy riding breeches, and a pair of cavalry boots. A loose 
flannel coat, with a general's silver star embroidered on the 
collar, indicated his rank. This officer I took for General Tor- 
bert. He nodded in answer to my salute and continued his 
conversation with a little black-eyed swarthy man, who was 
lying on a camp-cot smoking. This man was roughly dressed 
and in his shirt sleeves. I took him to be a staff officer. I was 

(361) 




363 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

wrong. They were talking about the effect of the hard pikes 
in the valley on the horses' hoofs, and the wear and tear on 
horse shoes. 

Presently the officer of the day came in and said: " Captain 
Bailey, from General Stahl's headquarters, wishes to report, 
general." " Tell him to come in." A tall, fine-looking young 
officer entered and saluted the general. The general said: 
''Captain, I want some one on my staff who is familiar with 
the valley and who knows the people well, and I was advised 
by General Stahl to get you. I will have an order issued to 
have you reported on duty at my headquarters as aide." The 
captain was about to withdraw when the little man, who had 
a map in his hand, said: "Captain, how far is it to Green's 
Corners from this point?" The captain looked at him a mo- 
ment and then answered: "What Green's Corners do you 
mean, sir?" " Why, in the valley between Harper's Ferry and 
Martinsburg." The captain looked at the questioner a moment 
and said: " I have been in the valley since the battle of 
Antietam, but I never heard of Green's Corners before, and I 
don't believe there is any such place." The little man jumped 
up with the map in his hand, nervously tapping it with his fin- 
ger and said, sharply: "Well, sir, I will show it to you on the 
map; here it is; Torbert, send this officer back to his regiment." 
He then turned to me and said: "Scout, do you know where 
Green's Corners are? " " No, sir, I never heard of it." His eyes 
snapped and he looked as though he was about to kick me out 
of the room, when General Torbert, who had been looking at the 
map, said: " Why, Sheridan, you are all wrong; you have got 
a department map thirty years old. The new map has it down 
as Smithfield. The name has been changed." He looked at 
the map a moment and said: " Captain, I beg your pardon; I 
was wrong, take a seat. Scout, you may go." 

The next morning the command moved and for several 
months Sheridan made things lively in the valley. He began 
by marching all over it, and his army ate nearly all there was 
left for man and beast. He marched and countermarched until 
people began to say he was a little shy of Early. One day, 
however, he caught that general napping. Torbert had com- 
mand of all the cavalry in that battle, while Sheridan gave his 
attention to the infantry and artillery. In my opinion he man- 
aged it well, and the charge on the enemy's left in the after- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 363 

noon was a magnificent siglit. Tliere must have been 6,000 
troopers, in a line of battle several miles long. When Torbert 
had everything ready the whole force moved forward, led by 
Torbert, Custer, Merritt, Averill, Lovell, and Mcintosh, It 
was something that one sees only once in a life-time. It is said 
that when our cavalry were seen getting ready for the charge, 
General Rhodes advised Early to retreat, but he, like Hooker, 
had never seen many dead cavalrymen, and hence said: " Cav- 
alry be d — d. A good stiff skirmish line and a few guns will 
hold them off." But the cavalry rode over the infantry and 
captured his artillery, while his horsemen were chased by 
Averill to Hanging Rock Gap. There seemed to be a rivalry 
between Merritt, Custer, and other cavalry generals as to which 
should expose themselves to the most danger. They had a way 
of riding close down to see " the lay of the land," and a habit 
of going along the skirmish line with their staffs to find out 
how things were going on. Each general had a headquarters 
flag, generally cross sabers on a blue ground, or blue cross 
sabers on a red ground. The Confederates soon knew them 
and the way they would fling shot, shell, and carbine balls as 
they saw one of these flags, was demoralizing to those who rode 
near them. 

One of the first fights the cavalry had under Torbert was near 
Smithfield. The Confederates were in a piece of woods looking 
down on an open valley and seemed disposed to stay there. A 
strong skirmish line had been thrown forwa,rd, and our artillery 
were shelling the woods. Torbert and his staff were on the 
hill top overlooking the low ground and he concluded to ride 
down and investigate. I never mounted my horse with more 
reluctance in my life. I joined the general, riding about five 
yards behind him, but wishing it were proper to be several 
hundred yards in the rear, for it began to be hot. Shells were 
howling over our heads and the. " biz," " biz," of the bullets 
were humming about our ears in a lively manner. The enemy 
evidently recognized the general and were paying him their 
respects. All the time Torbert and the officers were quietly 
riding down, laughing and chatting together. Occasionally 
Torbert would ask me some question about the country in front 
of us. 

Suddenly my mare gave a leap that almost unseated me, and 
I discovered that she had been hit in the flank. She jumped 



I 



364 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

about quite lively, and Torbert hearing the rumpus turned and- 
called out: " What's the matter, Danby? You had better ride 
back and get another mount." Just then another bullet chipped 
a piece out of the butt of a revolver I had stuck in my boot 
top. I heard something clink, and Torbert said, laughing, 
" That's a bad dent in your saber scabbard." I had made up my 
mind that my mare was hurt very badly, and was going back 
for another mount, when I heard a thud like a dab of mud 
hitting a barn door and I knew that a bullet had struck solid 
flesh. The surgeon reeled in his saddle; he had been hit in the 
breast, and died before we reached the rear. One of Captain 
Moore's stirrup-leathers was cut away by a bullet. Torbert 
joined us soon after. Presently the whole line was charging, 
and we had a right sharp little battle. In this fight Captain 
Bailey liad his left shoulder-strap shot off, having also lost one 
from the right shoulder during Milroy's retreat about a year 
before. 

The nature of my duties brought me into intimate contact 
with Torbert. After a scout in which I had gained information 
about the enemy, I could give a shrewd guess as to our future 
movements. I had to report to Torbert at once when I returned 
from a scout, no matter where he was or who was with him, 
and sometimes my experience with him was funny. He was a 
heavy sleeper, and when I reported at night I would have to 
shake him up, but he was always good natured. I went to re- 
port to him one night near Charlestown, after a three days' 
scout up the valley. He was not in his tent, but the sentry said 
he saw him go towards a citizen's house, which stood about 
two hundred yards from camp. My orders were to report as 
soon as I returned, so I proceeded to hunt him up. I went to 
the house and recognized the familiar snore of the general com- 
ing from the front room up stairs. I found the door unlocked. 
I knew that the man of the house and all his children were 
deaf, and that it was impossible to wake them by knocking, so 
I opened the door and went straight to the general, whom I 
found sleeping on a high post bedstead. As soon as I touched 
him he was alert. Something in his surroundings so different 
from his usual camp quarters probably made him easier to 
arouse. He leaned on his elbow and listened to my report, 
which was quite lengthy. I expected that he would wake up 
the aide to write a copy of my report for General Sheridan, 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 3G5 

which was generally done when the information was important, 
as mine that night was, but he did not. When I got through 
he asked how I found him and how I got in. I told him I heard 
him snore and finding the door unfastened had simply to fol- 
low the sound. He turned over in bed with a suppressed laugh 
and I left him. 

Torbert's next battle was purely a cavalry fight. It was 
in October, about a month after the Winchester fight. The 
cavalry had returned from up the valley and was in camp 
about Fisher's Hill, General Torbert had taken possession 
of the house of a Mrs. Hendricks, near Strasburg, for his 
headquarters. The wagons had reached headquarters for the 
first time in several days. When dinner was announced they 
were all in and soon hard at it. As the last bone of a twenty- 
five pound wild turkey was disappearing, in burst General 
Sheridan. I knew as soon as I saw him, that he was mad 
" clear through." Tlie bright light of the dining room came 
through the open door into the hall, and the loud talking and 
laughing of the staff drowned all other sounds. Sheridan went 
in upon them like the ghost in Don Giovanni. He stood in the 

doorway and exclaimed: "Well, Til be d dl if you ain't 

sitting here stuffing yourselves, general, staff, and all, while the 
rebels are riding into our camp! Having a party, while Rosser' 
is carrying off your guns! Got on your nice clothes and clean 

shirts! Torbert, mount quicker than h 1 will scorch a 

feather! " 

Turning away, Sheridan mounted his big black and dis- 
appeared in the darkness. Just as General Torbert was about to 
ride off, one of Custer's staff reported that while Custer was 
moving down the back road some country wagon loaded with 
contrabands had been captured by the enemy; and a broken 
blacksmith's forge with a broken wheel had also been picked 
up at the same time. Some demoralized officer had magnified 
this loss into the capture of a wagon train and a battery of 
artillery, and Sheridan hearing of it, had, in his usual impul- 
sive style, struck the first head that offered. General Torbert 
was angry. In a few moments I was riding up the valley with 
orders to go into the enemy's lines, find out all about them, and 
to report by daylight. It would take a page to tell of the small 
adventures of that night. At dawn I reported. The enemy's 
force consisted of Rosser's " Laurel Brigade," each trooper 



366 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

wearing a sprig of laurel in his cap. Our command moved up 
the valley, Merritt on the pike, and Custer on the North Mount- 
ain road; a strong skirmish line in the advance. 

Rosser had fallen back, stubbornly contesting every foot of 
the ground, and dead and wounded cavalrymen were beginning 
to come to the rear. The general had just sent his staff otf 
with orders for everything to move forward vigorously, and the 
increased firing was showing the effect of the order when Gen- 
eral Sheridan rode up on the hill. He was as gentle as a lamb, 
and quietly and pleasantly remarked: "Well, Torbert, you 
seem to be having a little amusement this morning.*' " Yes," 
replied Torbert, " we are going to try and recapture all those 
guns, wagons, and men you were telling us about last night." 
Sheridan answered, " It seems I was a little hasty last evening, 
Torbert." "I should say so," said Torbert, sarcasticall3^ 
" Have you any orders to give?" " No; everything seems to be 
going all right," said Sheridan, when Torbert mounted, and, 
saluting his superior, rode off at full speed to the front. In a 
few moments the bugles were sounding the charge and away 
went Rosser and " his gallant band " whirling up the valley. 
Our cavalry chased the enemy through Woodstock and Edin- 
burg, capturing a dozen pieces of artillery (all Rosser had) and 
Aiany of his men. 

On the day before the battle of Cedar Creek Torbert sent me 
over into Loudoun county to see if a plan could not be hit upon 
to capture Mosby. I learned at Front Royal that all furloughs 
and leaves had been stopped in Early's army, and that all men 
absent from their commands were ordered to report for duty at 
once. This indicated a quick move, so I concluded with this 
information to gallop back to headquarters, thi iking it impor- 
tant. I had gotten nearly to our lines when I was halted. To 
the demand, "Who goes there?" I replied, "Jack Carter of 
Mosby's command." If the troops proved to be Confederates I 
was on scouting duty for Major Mosby. If they were our men 
I could satisfy the officer in command by my passes and the 
countersign, which I always knew. I was ordered to dismount 
and lead my horse forward and soon found myself in the midst 
of a large force of Confederates. I was questioned very closely 
but I answered all questions with the greatest scmg froicl. I 
said I was from Maryland; giving my real residence, for I knew 
every man from my township in both armies. I satisfied him 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 367 

that I was a true "grayback," and it ended in his writing a 
dispatch which I was to carry to Mosby. I begged hard for a 
fresh horse; for I expressed fears that my horse would not hold 
out to reach Mosby if ridden fast; so the general gave me a 
note to a wealthy citizen who lived near Berry ville, requesting 
him to lend me a horse for the good of the cause. I subse- 
quently used it. As soon as I got away I struck for headquar- 
ters as fast as I could go. I had to move considerably out of 
my course to flank the enemy and came very near being fired 
upon by our picket post on the pike, near Middletown. It was 
some time before I could satisfy the officer in charge of the 
picket post of my identity. 

I reached General Torbert's tent at the dawn of day. It took 
some time to awake him; in fact all the officers at headquarters 
were sleepy that morning, as they had "a walk-round" the 
night before. I succeeded in getting the general awake and 
told him my news. He read the dispatch to Mosby, from Gen- 
eral Gordon, urging him to join Early's command at once with 
all the men he could muster. The letter added that Early 
would attack with his whole force at daybreak. 

Just then the alarm was given and in a few moments the 
staff officers were riding in all directions with orders. Heavy 
firing was heard on the right, where the 8th Corps were in camp, 
and, by the time the wagons were loaded and ready to move, 
the enemy could be seen on the pike about three hundred yards 
off, driving the infantry before them. The headquarters 
wagons were ordered to the rear, and the Durham cow, which 
provided milk for the officers' coffee and which was tied to one 
of the wagons, was killed by a stray bullet and dragged about 
half a mile before the driver had time to cut the rope that fast- 
ened her. The cavalry, the 6th Corps, and a portion of the 19th 
Corps fell back in pretty fair order. By the time Sheridan 
reached the army, after his famous twenty mile ride, the 
enemy had been checked. 

With his usual good luck, Sheri'dan was on hand just 
in the nick of time to take advantage of the situation; 
but I always thought that General Torbert deserved much 
more credit than he got for the success of the battle. He had 
skillfully got his cavalry and artillery out of the tangle and had 
the army in good shape for fighting. He had sent to stop the 
infantry stragglers who were breaking to the rear. Of course, 



568 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



as soon as Sheridan arrived and took command, he led, and, 
probably, the great victory we gained that day was owing 
mainly to him. Very little change was made by Sheridan in 
the disposition of the troops. When our army in turn attacked 
the enemy it was not a very hard fight, and our casualties were 
not heavy considering the complete success of the day. 



Thb Bluk and the Gray. 

FRANCIS Mf FINCH'S TENDER POEM OF UNION. 



Y the flow of the inland river, 
•Jzl^ Wlience the fleets of iron have 



Wliere 



fled, 
the blades 



of the 



grave-grass 
quiver, 
Asleep are the ranks of the dead. 
Under the sod and the dew. 

Waiting the judgment day — 
Under the one, the blue ; 
Under the other, the gray. 

These in the robings of glory. 

Those in the gloom of defeat. 
All with the battle-blood gory. 
In the dusk of eternity meet. 
Under the sod and the dew. 

Waiting the judgment day — 
Under the laurel, the blue; 
Under the willow, the gray. 

From the silence of sorrowful hours 

The desolate mourners go. 
Lovingly laden with flowers. 

Alike for the friend and the foe. 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day — 
Under the roses, the blue ; 
Under the lilies, the gray. 

So, with an equal splendor. 

The morning sun-rays fall, 
With a touch, impartially tender. 
On the blossoms bloominq; for all. 



Under the sod and the dew. 
Waiting the judgment day — 

Broidered with gold, the blue ; 
Mellowed with gold, the gray. 

So, when the summer calleth 

On forest and field of grain, 
Witli an equal murmur falleth. 
The cooling drip of the rain. 
Under the sod and the dew. 

Waiting the judgment day — 
Wet with the rain, the blue ; 
Wet with the rain, the gray. 

Sadly, but not with upbraiding. 
The generous deed was done ; 
In the storm of the years that are fad- 
ing, 
No braver battle was won. 
Under the sod and the dew. 

Waiting the judgment day — 
Under the blossoms, the blue ; 
Under the garlands, the gray. 

No more shall the war-cry sever. 
Or the winding rivers be red ; 
They banish our anger forever 

When they laurel the graves of our 
dead. 
Under the sod and the dew, 

Waiting the judgment day — 
Love and tears for the blue ; 
Tears and love for the gray ! 



(SsFiereir FembertoFi'g ©ecatfi. 



PEACEFUL CLOSE OF THE STIRRING CAREER OF THE DEFENDER OF YICKSBURG. 




FTER a long career of disappointment and daring as a 
soldier, succeeded by several years of unobtrusive 
private life, Lieut. -Gen. J. C. Pemberton, commander 
of the Confederate forces at the fall of Vicksburg, died 
on July 13, 1881, at Penllyn, a pleasant suburb of Phil- 
adelphia, on the Pennsylvania railroad. Philadelphia was his 
home, the place where he was born, and in the trying hours of 
his last illness he had the consolation that comes from the 
presence around his bedside of old friends and the members 
of his family. 

The name of Gen. John C. Pemberton will always be as- 
sociated with the siege of Vicksburg and his stubborn defense 
of that "iron fortress of the Mississippi," as the Confederates 
called it, against the army of General Grant. He was one of 
the victims of the war, for in the only great work he had an op- 
portunity to do, he was, from the first, in a hopeless position. 
General Pemberton was one of the officers of the regular army 
who resigned his commission at the breaking out of the war of 
the rebellion. He was a native of Philadelphia and was born 
in 1817. He graduated from West Point in 1837, served with 
distinction in the Mexican war, and at the time of his resigna- 
tion was a captain. On entering the Confederate service he 
was made a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry and assistant adjutant- 
general to Gen. Joseph E. Johnston. Without seeing any 
service he was promoted to a lieutenant-general in the 
provisional army and was put in command of the Confederate 
forces in Northern Mississippi, where the advancing army of 
Grant found him in the spring of 1863. His two brothers fought 
against him in the Union ranks. Pemberton considered Vicks- 
burg the most important point in the Confederacy, and when 
Grant ran his batteries and landed his forces south of him, he 
24 (369) 



370 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

foresaw that a struggle for the possession of the river was to 
come. Johnston was at Jackson, and both he and Pemberton 
were anxious to make a combination and give battle to the 
Union troops with a united army; Grant was, however, too 
quick for the Confederates, for even before a start for union 
had been made his army had been placed between the two com- 
mands. The siege followed, lasting through forty-seven weary 
days and nights. Whether or not General Pemberton was right 
in holding on to the place in the face of an inevitable fate, it 
cannot be denied that his defense was heroic. He had faith 
through the horrors of that awful siege that Johnston would be 
able to come to his assistance. His confidence was misplaced. 
Johnston never had a sufficient force to help him, and the op- 
posing army so closely hemmed Pemberton in, that at the end 
he was forced to surrender. This gave the Confederacy one of 
the severest blows that it received, and filled the North with 
courage and renewed enthusiasm. After the fall of Vicksburg 
Pemberton was under a cloud. He went to Richmond, resigned 
his rank as lieutenant-general, because the Confederate gov- 
ernment could not give him an adequate command, and as 
lieutenant-colonel, commanded Lee's artillery. His last work 
in the war was an unsuccessful attempt to prevent Grant's pas- 
sage of the James, by shelling his bridges. At the close of the 
war he was inspector of artillery, in command at Charleston. 
After the war he became a farmer near Warrenton, Fauquier 
county, Va. Here he passed a quiet, uneventful life. The 
farm was remote and isolated; and his life quite different from 
what he had been accustomed. He therefore gave it up and 
went from place to place until about four years ago, when he 
anchored in Philadelphia. All through his illness the doctors 
could not determine what was the matter with him, but the 
complication of troubles took him off at last. Most of his rela- 
tives, including his son, F. R. Pemberton, of F. R. Pemberton & 
Co., shipping merchants of Philadelphia, were with him when 
he died. At eleven minutes after five, bearing to the last the 
evidences of his soldierly training and a gentleness of char- 
acter, he passed away. 




a>S^ -J-4\~*iM-4-l' 4i-HtM-^ ^^^Ss 



A FIERCE DUEL FOR LIFE. 




DESPERATE NAVAL CONTEST ON ALBEMARLE SOUND. 

1864. 
By W. F*. DERBY, Srthi TVIass. 

PLYMOUTH, K C, had fallen, and the rebel iron-clad 
Albemarle now threatened the various positions held 
by the Union troops in North Carolina. Some of the 
smaller naval vessels had been withdrawn from the 
sounds, and these had been replaced by the "double- 
enders," Sassacus, Tacony, Mattabessett, and the 
Wyalusing, each armed with an iron prow. Commodore 
Melancthon Smyth, an officer of acknowledged experience and 
daring, had been placed in command of the entire inland naval 
fleet. The Albemarle was now the center of interest. It was 
an iron-clad modeled after the famous Merrimac, and was 
armed with two one hundred pound Brooks guns, rifled, and 
these so placed as to be used in any direction. 

At 4 P.M., May 5, 1864, the steamers Mattabessett, and 
Wyalusing were at anchor at Bluff Point, near Edenton Bay, 
when they were warned by the Miami and Whitehead that the 
ram Albemarle was in the sound. They sailed at once and 
soon saw the ram attended by two small steamers, the Bombshell 
and Cotton Plant. Our entire fleet at this point was composed 
of wooden vessels, and what they lacked in this direction in 
contesting with the iron monster, must be made up in strategy 
and daring. The United States steamer Miami opened the 
conflict just below Edenton bay. The Mattabessett and 
Sassacus followed, with broadsides, but their missiles bounded 
from their mailed antagonist like rubber balls. The sharp- 
shooters upon the two small steamers opened a harassing fire 
upon our gunners, but those vessels were instantly brought 
to by a broadside, and the crews made prisoners. It was 
soon seen that the guns of our fleet made no impression upon 

(371) 



372 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

the Albemarle, and Commander Roe, of the Sassacus, was given 
permission to attempt to run it down. With thirty pounds of 
steam and throttle wide open, the Sassacus, at a speed of ten 
knots, rushed for its antagonist, and, striking it amidships, 
crowded it heavily upon its side. 

At the moment of collision, a hundred pound shot passed 
through the Sassacus from stem to stern, but without material 
damage. A black muzzle again protrudes from the foe, but a 
Parrott gun is trained upon it, and before the hostile gun can 
be fired, a ponderous shot shivered its muzzle. The contestants 
were within ten feet of each other — the powder from each 
blackening its antagonist. It was "broadside to broadside," 
and "yard-arm locked to yard," while the crew of the Sassacus 
threw shot, shell, and hand-grenades into the ports of the Albe- 
marle. Gun answered gun in quick succession, while sharp- 
shooters were working death on either side. Another gun pro- 
trudes from the ram, and another Parrott is trained upon it, 
and both discharge together. But, hark ! A sound more fear- 
ful than belching cannon or bursting shell, strikes the ear of the 
Union crew. The enemy's shot has pierced the boiler of the 
Sassacus, and instantly the steamer is filled with scalding 
steam. Scores are writhing in the burning mist, but the brave 
gunners stand to their guns, and ply their ponderous missiles 
upon the mailed sides of the foe. 

It is a duel for life, and the divisions stand to their guns with 
a gallantry unequaled since the days of Decatur. At length, one 
of our one hundred pound shot crumbles against the port of the 
iron craft, and wedges it securely against further use. Still our 
batteries continue their incessant pounding against the foe, 
but the Sassacus's wheels refuse to revolve, and it drops help- 
lessly away from the Albemarle. When the steam and smoke 
had cleared away, the Union crews saw the Albemarle retreat- 
ing towards the Roanoke river. The prow of the Sassacus had 
pierced the hull of the Albemarle, and all haste was being made 
by the latter to reach Plymouth. Nineteen had been severely 
burned and one killed by the scalding steam, and though the 
burns were deep and painful, they forgot their sufferings and 
cheered lustily over their victory. 



il^SS-g?^ ^ 




m 



|> fieri did Fi'g Koteet Ride. 

SEPTEMBER 19, 1864. 

^THE SURPRISE AND STAMPEDE.— A BATTLE LOST AND WON AGAIN. ^ 



The Cavalry Leader's Appearauce and How He Turned the Tide. 



By "WILLIAM F. MACKAY, 5th Cavalry Division. 




[HE Union forces in the Shenandoah Valley, up to the 
summer of 1864, seemed to have all the ill and none of 
^ the good luck enjoyed by other armies. This state of 
affairs was changed when General Sheridan assumed 
the command of the forces in the val- . ' ^ ^^ v n 

ley. His presence encouraged every 
one, and we felt that the old game of 
racing up and down the Shenandoah 
was over. After having severely 
handled Generals Early and Breckin- 
ridge, at Opequan and Fisher's Hill, 
besides several severe cavalry en- 
gagements, our army pursued the 
enemy to Port Republic, and capt- 
ured most of their train. We then turned back by easy 
marches, destroying many grist mills and fine barns filled with 
grain and forage, followed at a safe distance by a small Con- 
federate cavalry force under General Rosser. The burning of the 
large flour mill at Port Republic presented a rare sight. The mill 
was fired contrary to orders, as the owner was a Union man 
and had been assured that it would not be burned. The over- 
shot wheel outside the mill continued to revolve, and after the 
weather-boarding had been burned off, all the machinery inside 
could be seen in motion, until the flames had burned every 
support away. A large barn at the village of Woodstock was 
burning as our rear guard passed, the sparks from which had 

(373) 




374 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

fired several houses close by. There being no one but old men, 
women, and children in this place, by common impulse our 
men dismounted, and saturating carpets with water, hung them 
from the upper windows to save the adjoining buildings. 

After incessant marching and countermarching, during the 
summer and fall, the men were delighted at the prospect of 
going into winter quarters. It was with a feeling of security that 
we went into camp on the east side of Cedar Creek, about the IGth 
of October, 18G4. The infantry lay upon three ridges. Crook's 
8th Corps in front, Emory's 19th next, and Wright's Gth Corps 
on the third ridge. The first cavalry division was commanded 
by Major-General Merritt. The dashing Custer's division was 
upon the right flank and rear, while Powell's division was 
upon the other flank, picketing the north fork of the Shenan- 
doah river, in the direction of Front Royal. It was one of the 
rumors of our camp that our army was to go into winter 
quarters right there. How this rumor originated no one knew, 
yet all seemed to accept it as a fact. 

The night preceding the surprise and battle of Cedar Creek 
was a beautiful one. Part of our regiment had been detailed 
to do guard duty at the headquarters of the 1st Cavalry Division. 
On this particular night, I was sentry on Post No. 1, in front of 
the commanding officer's quarters. I went on duty at two o'clock 
in the morning. The air was chilly and a heavy fog had fallen. 
It was about three o'clock a. m., when I was startled by lively 
picket firing, accompanied by muffled yells. After waiting a 
few moments to be certain that I was not dreaming, I awoke 
the bugler at headquarters. The firing had increased, and 
above all could be heard the well known yell of the enemy. 
We concluded to waken the general and report the facts. 

Going to his marquee, I put my head inside and said: ''Gen- 
eral, there is something wrong on our front." He came outside 
in his night clothes. The rattle of small arms was now con- 
tinuous and heavy. He seemed to comprehend everything in 
an instant, and said: "We're surprised; bugler, blow 'boots 
and saddle.'" Then turning to me he said: " Sentry, you are 
relieved. Report to your company." 

Soon everything and everybody was in confusion, each ask- 
ing the other what it was all about. Cavalry calls were heard 
in every direction, while the long roll of the infantry was plainly 
audible. It was a complete surprise, particularly to the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 375 

infantry on the extreme front, many of the men being shot 
or bayoneted in their beds. No one thought General Early 
nearer than Staunton at least. 

Men who had made such elaborate preparations for spending 
the winter at this camp, showed their disgust and disappoint- 
ment by savage growls, and language not found in books of a 
pious nature. 

As the fog lifted, there began a rush, scramble, stampede, or 
whatever it may be called. The men passed by on the run, 
singly and in squads, many with only their underclothing on, 
others partly dressed, while but very few carried their muskets. 
Their one thought was, get to the rear and get there quickly. 
As daylight increased, the firing became louder, and the flash 
of artillery added to the general confusion. Most of the fugi- 
tives belonged to the 8th Corps, and their officers vainly begged, 
threatened, and commanded them to halt and form. Appeals 
were in vain. Every man seemed intent upon going on the 
old maxim: "Every fellow for himself, and the devil take the 
hindmost." The tide of men came surging by, and we moved 
back some distance and formed a single line, the men being 
placed at short intervals with orders to turn back every man or 
shoot him on the spot. 

We succeeded in stopping a large number, and they began 
making breastworks of rails. By this time the 6th and part of 
the 19th Corps had formed in line of battle, and gave the enemy 
something to do besides plundering our camps, but we con- 
tinued to fall back slowly in the direction of Middletown. The 
turnpike was jammed with army wagons. General Sheridan 
had gone to Martinsburg, and it was the sentiment of all pres- 
ent, that had he been with the army, this stampede would not 
have happened. Near Middletown, one of our batteries took 
position on an elevation near the pike, our regiment being its 
support. 

At this time, when all felt sure that our army would be 
either captured or cut to pieces, Sheridan himself appeared on 
the field. Mounted on a large black horse, he came on a gallop, 
every appearance denoting anger and excitement. As he 
passed, he shouted: "Steady, lads, we'll give 'em h — 1 yet. 
This wouldn't have happened if I had been here." 

The men gave him cheer after cheer. Every one felt that 
somehow or other, he would bring us safely through. Army 



376 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



trains were turned into the fields and parked, and stragglers 
ran voluntarily to the front. Sheridan's staff had failed to 
keep up with him and now came galloping in, one by one. 
Firing gradually ceased — our lines being withdrawn a short 
distance and reformed, while the cavalry were massed on the 
flanks, Custer on the right, and Merritt on the left. 

About 2 P. M. the battle was renewed. The 3d Brigade, 1st 
Division, after being twice repulsed in charging a stone wall, 
succeeded in clearing the fence and getting in the enemy's 
rear. It was in this charge that General Lowell, of the regular 
cavalry, fell. Custer having succeeded in turning their flank 
at about the same time, both divisions charged down in their 
rear. This was more than they could stand. They started on 
a run, shouting: "We're flanked! we're flanked!" They 
were broken and demoralized far worse than we had been in 
the morning. The pursuit was kept up until darkness set in, 
and the next day we all occupied our old camps again. We 
recaptured all our artillery, and took much of the enemy's, 
besides many prisoners and much war material. Thus ended 
one of the most remarkable battles in history. There is no 
doubt that if General Sheridan had not come, our army would 
have been badly whipped, and the coast left clear for another 
invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania. The faith of every 
man in General Sheridan was strong. His presence was an 
inspiration. The men believed in him, and showed their faith 
by again engaging and defeating the once victorious enemy. 



General Grant on Southern Inde- 
pendence. 



gfENERAL GRANT says in his book 
that if the war had lasted one year 
longer than it did the North would 
probably have become exhausted, and 
been compelled to acknowledge the in- 
dependence of the Confederates. 



General Buford's Credit at Gettys- 
burg. 



Tin'lIE Comte de Paris, in his book on 
the battle of Gettysburg, awards 
the credit to General Buford, of com- 
pelling Lee to fight on a field that was 
to be fatal to his plan of invasion, and to 
the fortunes of the Confederate cause. 



WHO SHOT STOIEWALL JAGKSOI? 

By MAJ. ALEXANDER W. SELFRIDGE, 46th Penn. Regiment. 






^^UR 1st Brigade, 1st Di- 
^S^ vision 12tli Army Corps, 
wearing the "red star," was 
at the extreme right of the 
corps, on a hne nearly parallel 
with the plank road, in the 
woods, not far from the open 
plaza which surrounded the 
Chancellor House, and was pro- 
tected by strong breastworks 
erected on the morning of the 
2d of May. En echelon with our 
right, was the 11th Army 
Corps. About four o'clock 
we were ordered out of our 
works, and, as soon as out, 
were under a heavy artillery 
fire and the target for many 
invisible sharpshooters. We 
were awaiting orders to ad- 
vance, scarcely having re- 
turned the fire of the unseen 
infantry, when an aide of Gen. 
A. S. Williams rode up and 
said to Gen. Joseph Knipe, our 
brigade commander: "The 
general's compliments and he 
orders that you get your bri- 
gade back to the works you 
left as quickly as possible." 
The colonels ordered each com- 
pany commander to take his 

(07 





command into the works he 
built "by the right of com- 
pany, to the rear into coluinn, 
double quick." During this 
time we heard a racket on our 
right, which turned out to be 
Jackson's famous charge upon 
the 11th Corps. I gave the 
order at once, and got the start 
of the rest of the brigade. 
When we reached the opening 
in our works, we came in con- 
tact with an irregular column 
of Confederates running from a 
direction diagonally opposite 
to us, and from where the 11th 
Corps was supposed to be. 
7) 



378 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



The Confederates we took to 
be prisoners captured by the 
11th Corps, or a body of them 
coming in to give tliemselves 
up, and we cheered them lus- 
tily. How they regarded us 
is difficult to conjecture, as 
they neither hindered nor mo- 
lested us. Probably they had 
gobbled so many " blue coats" 
with so little trouble that they 
deemed us already their game. 
However, bent upon obeying 
orders, we pushed forward un- 
til we came to the line built by 
us and halted about thirty or 
forty feet from the works. 
The next moment the enemy 
arose on the other side of our 
works, with guns at an aim, 
and a long haired individual 
yelled: " Surrender, ye Yankee 

!" Major Strauss drew his 

revolver and fired and then we 
caught it. The major and my 
1st sergeant fell on either 
side, and those who could 
broke to the rear. The plank 
road was only two or three 
hundred yards back of the line 
and there I rallied what was 
left of company H. While so 
engaged Gen. H. W. Slocum, 
corps commander, rode up and 
I informed him that our works 
were occupied by the enemy. 
He seemed amazed and saying 
little or nothing, returned. 
Two brass Napoleon guns gave 
notice that they proposed to 
sweep that plank road, and we 



moved out of range, in the 
direction of the shanty, in close 
proximity to which Stonewall 
Jackson received his death 
wound two hours afterwards. 

It had now grown nearly 
dark. General Knipe rode up 
and wanted to know why I 
was not where I had been 
ordered. I gave him excellent 
reasons but he raved, and in 
language more forcible than 
polite, said he knew better, 
and went in. He did not go 
far, or stay long when he got 
there. We heard a volley and 
he came out faster than he 
went in, nor did he stop to ex- 
plain as he hurried by minus 
his hat. I then told my men 
to crawl cautiously in and get 
the major out if possible, as I 
did not believe the enemy were 
this side of tlie works. We 
were successful in this effort. 
We then fell back on a line 
with the shanty, and I made 
my way down the plank road 
to see how things looked. At 
the edge of the wood on the 
road were two pieces of artil- 
lery and a heavy line of battle 
of General Berry's command. 
An officer of his staff heard 
my report and ordered me to 
feel forward along the plank 
road to discover the location of 
their skirmishers. We ad- 
vanced but a few yards when 
we heard voices and saw the 
dim outline of horsemen, rid- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



379 



ing about. One of my men 
said it was too good a chance to 
shoot at a staff of officers to 
let it slip, and fired. The rest 
of my men instantly blazed 
away at them. Then followed 
a volley from beyond the horse- 
men and from the line of our 
works occupied by the enemy 
on our left, besides also an un- 
pleasant firing from some of 
our men in the rear. An un- 
usual commotion was noticed 
in the direction of the shanty, 
but we dared not fire as it 
brought upon us a fire from all 
directions. It was in this first 
fire that we believed General 
Jackson received his mortal 
wound. My men always main- 
tained that they dropped some 
of the officers off their horses. 
The fire from the Confederate 



troops, which followed ou:s, 
may have done it; the fire 
over us, from our troops at the 
rear, may have done it, but not 
likely, as they were almost too 
far off. As my little band of 
skirmishers opened the affair 
near the spot designated by 
some of those who were with 
General Jackson at the time 
he fell, and as we saw and 
heard as plainly as the dark- 
ness and circumstances would 
permit what we had done, and 
had talked of the "big guns" 
we brought down that night 
in the woods near the shanty 
long before we knew the loca- 
tion of Jackson's wounding, 
we think that among others 
that we put hors de combat 
that night was "Stonewall" 
Jackson, 



Gallantry of General Grorer's 
Division. 



First and Only Female Mustered 
Into Service. 



history of the war cannot excel the 
glory of Grover's division of the 1st 
Corps in the fight at Winchester, Sep- 
tember 19, 1864. Every fourth man in 
the division was killed or wounded. 



F wounds are a test of gallantry, the '•^jp'RE only female ever mustered in 

and out of the United States service 
as a woman was Katy C. Brownell — the 
heroine of New-Berne, and wife of 
Robert S. Brownell, of the 1st, after- 
wards the 5th R. I. Regt. 



First Federal Troops liaised in 
Tennessee. 



Col. P. T. Moore, First Confederate 
Officer Wounded. 



'^IP'HE first Federal troops raised in 
Middle Tennessee were raised by 
Gen. A. C. Gillem, who later in the war 
defeated and killed the guerrilla John 
Morgan. 



■•jpHE first officer wounded on the 

Southern side at the first battle of 

Bull Run, was Col. P. T. Moore, of the 

1st Va. Regt. He died in February, 

1883. 



BATTLE OF ALLATOONA. 



OCTOBER 5, 1864. 

Sherman's BurnUuj Words: ''HOLD THE FOnTP' 



General Corse tells General French He is Ready for the 
" Unnecessary Effusion of Blood " at any Time. 



J J. WHITNEY, M. D., Assistant Surgeon, 18th ^A/■is. 




US ill force. 



I UR garrison consisted of 1,100 men. We had the 
4th Minn, and 18th Wis., together with a part of 
the Gth Wis. Battery, all under the command of 
Colonel Tourtellotte, of the 4th Minn. Hood had 
made his desperate flank movement. He well 
knew that we were guarding the main depot of 
supplies for Sherman's grand army. Allatoona 
Pass was the key to Sherman's position, and we 
knew that we held it. The enemy was now upon 
He had destroyed the railroad between us and 
Sherman's pursuing columns; he had stormed with shot and 
shell our block-house, and had taken prisoners over one hun- 
dred of its brave defenders. And now he was ready for us. 
General Corse, with nine hundred men, had been ordered down 
from Rome to our relief. Late in the evening of October 4, 
1864, our pickets were driven in, and we were apprised of the 
near approach of the enemy. It was midnight. The rumbling 
of cars, the puffing of engines, the neighing of horses and 
braying of mules, all told us of the arrival of General Corse. 
I remember that we now felt very confident, for General Corse 
was in command. It is true that our forts were badly located, 
for the hills to the west and north of us were so much higher 
that they looked down upon us. All night long our command 
was busy in silent preparation. 

At daylight, October 5, on looking across the bottom lands 
south of us, we could see the enemy planting his batteries. 

(380) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 381 

About eight o'clock he opened fire, throwing shells into and 
about our main fort, which was on the west side of the pass. 
We laughed at this futile bombardment. 

Soon the cannonading ceased, and an officer from General 
French came under a flag of truce. The writer happened to 
hear what was said both by General Corse and the rebel officer. 
After saluting the general the latter handed him a paper from 
General French, which read about as follows: "General: I now 
have you surrounded. My force is far superior to yours. To 
prevent the unnecessary effusion of blood I summon you to sur- 
render immediately." General Corse coolly and firmly said: 
" Say to General French that I will not surrender, and that he 
can begin the unnecessary effusion of blood whenever he 
pleases." The aide returned, and within ten minutes the gray 
columns were seen marching up and over the hills by the left 
flank, until they reached the railroad to the north of us. We 
knew the battle would now begin. 

The enemy soon let us know what he meant by his unearthly 
yells and the murderous rattle of his musketry. He charged 
on our thin lines and carried them by the weight and momen- 
tum of numbers. He rushed over our slim defenses, treading 
down our men in the trenches and fairly kicking them in the 
face. One after another of our outposts were driven in. 
Officers came dashing to General Corse saying: " We have lost 
our position; we cannot hold our posts against such numbers! 
We are already all cut to pieces!" Not many minutes elapsed 
before the enemy were seen rallying for a grand charge on our 
interior defenses and the fort itself. General Sherman was on 
Lookout Mountain, away northward fifteen miles. Signal flags 
were continually waving, up and down, to the right and left, 
carrying the burning words of Sherman, "Hold on! Hold the 
fort! Never give up!" The other returning: "We never will — 
we cannot surrender. I am short an ear and part of a cheek 
bone, but all h — 1 can't whip us." General Corse was every- 
where — walking around outside and on top of the parapets — 
going through the embrasures — everywhere speaking words of 
assurance and plucky defiance. "It is hot, boys, but remember 
Vicksburg! We shall not surrender!" The writer was stand- 
ing near the general when he was about to again mount the 
parapets. A ball struck him (Corse) and he fell backward 
bleeding. Soon the word passed that our general was wounded. 



382 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Surrender seemed now inevitable, but only while the general 
lay there fainting. A surgeon gave him a little stimulant and 
a handkerchief wet with spirits was placed around his torn tem- 
ple and ear, and he rallied from the swoon and arose to his feet. 

" H— 1 and d n! who talks of surrender?" said he. "We 

shall never surrender! We will die right here, every man of us, 
rather than give up! " Again hope reigned. The general placed 
Henry rifles in the trenches and under the parapets, ready for 
hand-to-hand fighting. We were none too soon, for the oppos- 
ing forces mingled in a bayonet charge and our men were all 
driven into the fort. Here hand-to-hand they fought, and the 
enemy encountered the Henry rifles. Down the embankments 
they fell into the trenches. Once more they were repulsed. 
Our little fort, the area of which was about 6,000 square feet, 
was full and crowded with dead and wounded. Our guns were 
all silenced from rapid firing. Colonel Tourtellotte was badly 
wounded, and could not fight any more. It was noon, and we 
still held the fort. We had not yet won, for General French 
had come upon us with 7,000 veterans — the flower of Stewart's 
corps — of Hood's army, and still had reserves. But he knew 
that Sherman was near. He must rally once more for one last 
grand charge — one greater and better than any or all before; 
for this one must succeed, this must determine the fate of our 
post. The doom of General Corse and his army seemed sealed. 
Our batterymen were all slain or wounded, but we had plucky 
infantrymen left. We were out of ammunition, too! What 
shall be done? Captain Bruner, of Co. K, LStli Wis., solves the 
problem. He crawls over the walls of the fort, crosses the deep 
cut on a foot bridge to the other fort, secures his grape and 
canister, brings it to us upon his back, all the time under heavy 
fire from the enemy. Now our big gun is once more swabbed 
and loaded with grape and canister, and by the hands of the 
brave Captain Bruner. He was then only a boy, but he showed 
the pluck and heart of a lion. Now the Confederates were 
ready. Their fixing of bayonets, the swift double-quick rally- 
ing behind the old house, told us that perchance our fate hung 
on this final charge. 

But Bruner's gun was now wheeled into the embrasure where 
so many brave battery boys had gone down, and he poured the 
grape and canister through and through that old house! What 
a sight! The rebels were seized with a panic. They could not 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



383 



be rallied, and rushed over the hills amid a last volley from our 
rifles. Our men almost cried for joy, for the battle was w^on. 
And now came the sad work of the surgeons. We were but 
few in number, but our labor was fearfully great. Two humane 
Confederate surgeons were left with us, and together side by 
side for six days and nights we labored! We did what we could 
to alleviate the havoc of war. Amid the silent gloom of the 
morning, while looking on our dead, there was joy for us, for 
General Sherman came up, giving us a hearty greeting. All 
know his congratulatory order. To me they are the finest 
words he ever uttered or wrote. Our commander appreciated 
the work we had done. General Hood did not replenish his 
commissariat, neither did General Sherman lose his 1,500,000 
rations, for did he not immediately go on his grand march to 
the sea? 



The Sentry's Challenoe. 

[These verses are part of a long poem written by Capt J. Lee Knight, and read at the Topeka 
Celebration of General Oranfs Birthday.] 



"Ti ^ALT ! who goes there? 
r*Fl5 ^ friend — 

-N^5>^ He leads the serried hosts, 
Their ranks reforming ! 
Their chilled and fluttering hearts 
AVith Hope's new fires rewarming. 
Pass, friend — 
The Lord hath answered prayer. 

Halt ! who goes there? 

A friend — 
The victor, laurel crowned — 

To home and peace returning. 
No more of war nor strife. 

Nor gleaming camp fires burning ! 
Pass, friend — 
Great blessings many share. 

Halt ! who goes there ? 

A friend — 
Behold ! once more he comes, 
A chieftain's mantle wearing! 



The Nation's loving voice 

Sends greeting to the daring — 
Pass, friend — 
Thy mission hath been rare. 

Halt ! who goes there ? 

A friend — 
Life's mission rounded out, 

Tn meed of fame and glory 
Thy cup of honors full, 

The world takes up thy story ! 
Pass, friend — 
Love's blessings with thee bear. 

Halt ! who goes there? 

A friend — 
A bent form racked with pain, 

A broken heart lies bleeding — 
While million prayers and tears 
For that loved life are pleading! 
Pass, friend — 
God keep thee in his care. 



WAR G0RRESP0NBENTS. 




How They Fared, How They Worked, and What They Suffered. 

By WILLIAM M. RUNREL, 1st Lieut. Battery H, 3d Penii. Artillery. 



^/AR correspondents lead a particularly hard life, 
and the more so if attached to an unpopu- 
lar paper. How much injustice these men did 
can only be conjectured; how much benefit 
they gave to undeserving ones can best be ap- 
preciated by the men's actions in civil life. The 
New York Herald was the popular paper in the 
East; it would have twenty correspondents, captured or sent 
home, replaced within twenty-four hours. The Philadelphia 
Inquirer was the journal for the Middle States; the Cincinnati 
Gazette for the Middle- West, and the St. Louis Repuhlican for 
the Southwest. The men representing these papers could do 
nearly as they pleased, but the others had to take it as they could 
find it. Their lot was bad indeed. I remember when advanc- 
ing up the Peninsula, that a correspondent who was on an 
unpopular paper was compelled to sit all night long beneath a 
baggage wagon during a most terrible storm and when there 
was plenty of room in many of the hospital tents in the immedi- 
ate vicinity. 

Wlien there was no telegraphic communication it was in the 
interest of the paper to have some one in their employ who 
would carry the news by hand. At Fortress Monroe, in 18G2, 
telegraphic facilities were in the hands of the government; 
one could only send such messages as they would permit. The 
New York Herald, not to be outdone, organized a rapid transit 
of their own. A correspondent was stationed in Baltimore, 
then the stewards of the Old Colony Line of steamboats were 
hired to carry messages from Fortress Monroe to Baltimore; 
next was a correspondent at the "Fort " to forward matter as 
soon as possible. In this way considerable matter could be tel- 

(384) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 385 

egraphed from Baltimore if the boat were too late for the train ; 
if on time, the correspondent sent a trusted messenger to New 
York, thus saving an hour on the mails. The facilities of those 
days were not what they are to-day, and every newspaper man 
well knows what an hour is worth in a well regulated news- 
paper office. In addition to these, every corps had one cor- 
respondent, or if short-handed one man sometimes had two 
or three corps to attend to. All were under the orders of a 
chief on the field, and reported regularly every morning in the 
vicinity of Franklin's headquarters. 

As an example, notice the battle of Fair Oaks, and how the 
most minute particulars appeared in the Herald on the day but 
one following. Having been a newspaper man myself before 
the war broke out I was able to appreciate the wants and 
necessities of these men; hence my quarters were always 
open to them. Sometimes I would entertain a half dozen of 
the brother "chips" all at once; at other times I would not 
see one of them for weeks. The Herald men were at my 
quarters when the first gun was fired at Fair Oaks. " There 
they go," was the cry, and immediately all was activity. 
Charles Farrell (since dead) was the chief on the field at this 
time. In less time than it takes to write it, orders were issued 
for each one of them to accompany such and such a corps (it 
was astonishing how well they understood the position of each 
command), and in a twinkling all had mounted and were off. I 
suppose they knew where they were to meet again, for I after- 
ward found them on the south bank of the Chickahominy, in 
the rear of Heintzelman's headquarters. All were assembled 
around a pile of cracker boxes and as busy as nailers, writing 
the particulars of the fight then going on. As each man fin- 
ished, he passed his manuscript to Farrell, and, mounting, rode 
away again to some distant part of the field. 

At the battle of Fair Oaks we had been driven back about a 
mile the first day, but on the second day we gave them a little 
"Hail Columbia," and in turn drove them back about half a 
mile from where our outside line was first established. It was 
a most terrible fight. On a wooded eminence, a short distance 
below where our first line had been established, two or three 
batteries of artillery were stationed by Heintzelman. One 
section of two pieces was drawn out from the woods and placed 
in the clear cornfield beyond. 

25 



386 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

It was a dangerous position for a battery to be in without a 
support. The section had scarcely unlimbered when from the 
woods in their front there debouched Cheatham's Confederate 
brigade, who, in regimental front and four lines deep, came 
pouring down upon the devoted section. " Fire with canister! " 
commanded the weak little voice of the young lieutenant, who 
commanded the section, and the Confederates seemed to laugh 
at the two little six-pounders opposing them. "Double-shot 
with canister! " said the commander of the guns, and still the 
enemy came on and on, as if on parade. Not a musket was 
fired and the section kept booming away with terrible rapidity. 
I had thought that the lieutenant and his section would turn 
tail to the foe, but he did not, but stood there and worked his 
guns with the coolness of a veteran. All at once, with a yell, 
the enemy started on a double-quick, and in a moment more the 
section was captured and the lieutenant was a mangled corpse. 

Now came the most terrible carnage I had ever seen. The 
capture of the section had greatly encouraged the foe and his 
lines swept on and up the hill, until within about one hundred 
yards of the Union cannon. It was a magnificent sight. The 
lines had not broken yet, but kept onward as if marching for 
review. " Fire! '' rang out from the woods, and a least a dozen 
cannon belched forth their storm of death. I can see it even 
now. Men in all the agonies of death piled like fence rails 
one upon another; their more fortunate comrades climbing 
over their mangled bodies to reach the guns. 

The magnificent lines of a moment before wavered, stood 
still, and then faded away, like snow before a summer's sun. 
The charge was ended and but few, if any, lived to return. 
The field where the enemy had advanced was a slaughter pen, 
indeed. The dead and wounded lay in all directions, and not 
one of all the men who had advanced got back again. It was a 
gallant charge and a terrible repulse, but to the noble lieuten- 
ant who had commanded the captured section, and who gave up 
his life to duty, was the credit of winning this battle due. The 
enemy lost about 1,500 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners. 
Our loss was 8 men killed and 16 wounded. 

For two days I caught only fleeting glances of the correspond- 
ents. When all was over, Farrell came in with the papers of 
the day before. There were eight or nine columns of descrip- 
tion of the first day's fight, and in the next day's paper was an 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 387 

account nearly as long of the second day's battle. It was won- 
derful, wonderful to see an account of the battle, all the way 
from New York, back on the field in so short a time. An even- 
ing shortly afterward, while smoking with Farrell, I asked him 
how he had managed to know so much about the battle and how 
he had got it to the paper with such promptness. "You see," 
said he, " we have ourljest men here. Each man knows what 
to do and does it with the quickest possible dispatch." 

He then related how he arranged the manuscripts of each 
man, put it into shape, corrected it as far as he was able, and 
then rode to the White House, where he chartered a tugboat 
and went to Fortress Monroe; how he there telegraphed as 
much as the authorities would allow and gave his package to 
the Fortress Monroe correspondent, and within three or four 
hours had retaken the tugboat for the White House. 

It was a mystery to me and has been ever since! A fight 

taking place four or five hundred miles away and yet, without 

telegraphic communication, the full particulars are spread 

before the people at home on the day but one following the 

occurrence. 

» » « 

AN INTKRKSTING WAR RELIC. 

From tJie Rome Sentinel, Ga. 



^') SMALL highland terrapin was That was twenty years ago. In 1886 

captm-ed in ISS-t by a Chatta- when a party of ex-Union captives from 

nooga gentleman that carries on Ohio, wlio were making a tour of the 

the smooth surface of its belly the in- South, passed through Chattanooga, 

scription, carved in distinct characters : the terrapin was shown them and they 

" Union : Co. K, 26th Regt., Ohio Vols.; could not have shown more delight over 

November 18, 1864." It is supposed the meeting of an old friend. " He 

that some straggling Union soldier, be- was the pet of some of our boys," said 

longing to the command designated, one of the old soldiers, as he fondly 

captured the North Georgia quadruped patted the terrapin's back, while the 

and proceeded to make a living histor- tears filled his eyes and rolled down his 

ical tablet of the hard-shell little creeper, cheeks in great drops. 



SHERMAJf AND JOHNSON. CoL Jackson's Grand Cavalry Charge. 

^HE movements of the two armies of '*¥''HE charge of the 9th Ind. Cavalry, 
■^ Sherman and Johnston during the led by Colonel Jackson, at the bat- 
Atlanta campaign, is one of the most tie of Franklin, Tenn., was absolutely 
interesting and unique in all military the grandest thing of the kind during 
history. the whole war. 



THE BATTLE OF RESACA. 



OCTOBEB, 12, 1SG4. 



A Thousand Jets of Flame Blend into Roaring Artillery. 



By C. E. BENTON, 150th New York Regt. 




-fe-tf* *^^^^=^ 







ifF10gaj\^iMSa)l HE battles of Lookout Mountain and Mission- 
ary Ridge had been fought and won, and 
thousands of prisoners had passed us in long 
trains of freight cars. The 11th and 13tli 
Corps had been consolidated and become the 
30th Corps, Army of the Cumberland, under 
command of Hooker. 
When the soft, warm days of spring came it was made known 
that we had marching orders, and there was great stir in camp. 
Even the mules, which had grown fat and dull, caught the ex- 
citement and brayed "Joe Hook-er, Hook-er, Hook-er," at the 
top of their unmusical voices. The swelling buds were putting 
forth their leaves, and the woods were fragrant with flowers, 
as we marched out of camp and turned our faces southward. 
Steadily, day by day, we marched southward, climbed the 
steep mountain, traversed its broad summit, clambered down 
its rugged southern face, and followed narrow valleys and 
crooked water courses until we came to the Tennessee river at 
Bridgeport, Ala. There we turned east until we reached Look- 
out Mountain, which we passed by a road leading up its west- 
ern face and around the north end. Three miles northeast was 
Chattanooga; east was Missionary Ridge, southeast was the 
old battle field of Chickamauga, mostly level and w^ooded. The 
Tennessee river washes the foot of Lookout Mountain, and 
turns west by a crooked course through the mountains. 

We descended the mountain to where the battle of Chicka- 
mauga was fought the fall before. Soon we came to trees cut 

(388) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 389 

down by shell; nearly all of the trees were marked and torn by 
bullets and shells. Mounds of earth with the middle sunken 
in, showed where dozens of men had received scant burial. 
Here and there a foot protruded; or a hand with the skin dried 
to the bones was seen extended from a grave as if beckoning 
to us. Further on we came to numbers of bodies which had 
not been buried. Then we passed Chickamauga creek, where 
its wine-coloi"ed water flows between thickly-wooded banks. 
The name is said to be Indian, and signifies in their language, 
" River of Death." How did they know? 

Continuing southeast we confronted the enemy, and the roar- 
ing of cannon was heard in some direction every day. Between 
maneuvering and fighting, the enemy were forced or flanked 
out of every position until they were found intrenched at 
Resaca. There it was understood they expected to make a big 
fight. It was May 14 when we arrived and the crackling sound 
of firing on the skirmish line told that the two armies con- 
fronted each other. We were moved from place to place, but 
were not put in that day. At one place where we halted a 
body of men were digging graves. Not seeing any dead or 
wounded near, I inquired what they were doing, and was in- 
formed that ambulance corps had nothing to do, and as a heavy 
battle was expected, they were digging graves — for men not 
yet engaged in battle. Late in the afternoon the enemy at- 
tempted to take a battery at the left of our line, and the 1st 
Division, 20th Corps, was hurried in that direction. When we 
came near the firing, the division was formed on an elevated 
ridge, in line by brigades. The 3d Brigade, which was in front, 
passed down the slope into the open fields, and just as they did 
so the battery at our left opened fire. Looking beyond our line 
we saw the dusky line of Confederates advancing from the 
shelter of the woods and open fire. From our elevated position 
on the ridge we saw the whole action as plainly as if it had been 
a play on the stage. The slightly gathering gloom of twilight 
served to show the fire of their guns in bright flashes as they 
continued to advance. Our own line advanced a short distance 
in silence when suddenly there sprang from their front a thou- 
sand jets of flame. Thicker and faster grew the firing until the 
cracking of rifles blended into a roaring sound, accented by the 
heavy bass of the cannon. It lasted only a little while. The 
gray line was seen to waver, then scatter, and at last run back 



390 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

in confusion, followed steadily by our line until the ringing 
notes of the bugle called a halt. Then the ambulances drove 
over the ground. The dead and wounded were both removed, 
and in an hour's time the only signs of a conJElict were a few 
dead horses. 

Sunday the battle raged furiously, but we were not called 
into action until noon, when we were moved toward the left of 
the line. This was a move to flank the enemy and at the same 
time the Confederate forces were moving in the same direction 
to flank us. At one point the enemy wfere running across the 
road only a little distance in front. There were strict orders not 
to flre a gun and they escaped unharmed. Soon after we passed 
what had been a Confederate field hospital. A few of their 
dead were there, and one lay on the operating table. He may 
have died during an operation or perhaps have been killed by a 
stray bullet. Finally, we were formed in line on a little rise of 
ground in open fields, and threw up a slight defense. Soon the 
long gray line was seen approaching with a firm and even 
front. Upon coming within range they opened fire, and con- 
tinued to fire as they advanced. But the fire was returned 
with such steady, level volleys that they fell in dozens, and 
finally retreated in disorder. As the smoke cleared awa}^ we 
could see them forming for a fresh attack. This time they 
were more persistent and got nearer to our line than before, 
but were driven back again, leaving the field strewed with their 
dead and wounded. Just at the turning point, part of our line 
made a dash at the enemy, and returned with some prisoners 
and one battle-fiag. Thus the flanking movements which the 
two armies attempted at the same time, counteracted each 
other. But our troops held the line they had taken. 

As the hostilities ceased at that part of the field, the task of 
removing the wounded to the rear commenced. There were no 
stretchers at hand, and we used blankets and half-tents. When 
you start with a helpless soldier in a blanket he seems to weigh 
about one hundred pounds; after you have carried him half a 
mile you will think he weighs a ton, — especially if the course is 
in range of the enemy's batteries. We found where the sur- 
geon had established himself in a hollow in the woods, and 
there we deposited our burdens, and set to work under his 
orders. Attendants in field hospitals witness many pitiful 
scenes. Not as in general hospitals, here are sunburnt men 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 391 

stricken suddenly in their full vigor. Here are the freshly torn 
muscles and dripping blood, and tragic death scenes. 

I remember a fine-looking, intelligent fellow, hardly twenty- 
one, who was mortally wounded. His frequent request was 
for water, and seeing that he could last but a few moments, I 
knelt by his side and at short intervals put a little in his mouth 
with a spoon. Finally his lips could not open to receive the 
water or even to speak the word, but the pleading look came 
into his eyes, and understanding it I dipped my finger in the 
water and moistened his lips. To my surprise, they parted in 
a sweet, pleasant smile. I glanced quickly, but saw that I was 
looking at the half closed windows of an empty tenement. 
That happy smile had spanned two shores. 

At another time there was a strong man of twenty-five, who 
sat or reclined on the ground. If you would see his exact posi- 
tion, look at the " Dying Gladiator." He called frequently for 
the doctor, and an attendant pointed him out to the surgeon. 
He replied that he had examined the man and could do nothing, 
as he was bleeding to death. The attendant returned and 
spoke in a low tone to the dying man. Many fresh wounded 
men were being brought, and help was scarce, so the surgeon 
called the attendant. He sprang to his feet and left the dying 
soldier — alone. His regiment was at the front, and among the 
many within sound of his feeble voice he was an entire stranger. 
He occasionally raised his head and spoke weakly, but no one 
had time to give him attention. I noticed after a little that the 
pallor of death had spread over his strong features. He settled 
lower and lower, and finally sank back on the ground. There 
was a gurgling sound, slight convulsive motion of the limbs, 
and all was over. 

Night found us tired and fasting; but with crackers and 
coffee, and a few hours' sleep, we arose at dawn to find that 
the enemy had retreated during the night. The battle was 
won. 

The Stars and Stripes Over Sayaimah. KENTUCKY BRIGADE. 



5^HE stars and stripes were first un- "•J^HE first Kentucky brigade organ- 
■^^ furled over tlie city of Savannah by ized by Gen. George H. Thomas 

Acting Master R. N. Morrill, of the was the first brigade of the Army of the 

gunboat Sonoma. Cumberland, and its nucleus. 



A ROMANCE OF THE WAR. 




-4- A Tragedy at Gettysburg, Follomd, after Many Years, by a Wedding. 4~ 
^^^^■♦ :=:; . 

^OON after the battle of Gettysburg, the 7th Ind. Regt. 
was stationed near Waterford, Loudoun county. An 
,^ acquaintance sprang up between Lieutenant Holmes 
J^ of that regiment, and Miss Lizzie, daughter of John B. 
Dutton. 

The correspondence between the two, which ensued upon 
their separation, led to their betrothal. In an assault upon the 
Confederate works at Petersburg, the young lieutenant was 
killed. A few days later came a letter from his betrothed. A 
friend and comrade of the slain officer, Joseph M. Dunlap, 
knowing the relation between the two, returned the letter, at 
the same time apprising Miss Dutton of the fall of her lover. A 
letter of thanks from the young lady for the mournful attention 
paid her, gave occasion for the interchange of several more 
epistles. Mr. Dunlap was deeply impressed with the style of 
the letters, having previously seen and admired the writer. 
The tide of war rolled on until the torn battle-flags were furled 
at Appomattox. 

The correspondence ceased. Mr. Dunlap went to his home in 
Indiana and fulfilled a long standing engagement by marrying 
the daughter of a neighbor, but within a year or two this lady 
died. Mr. Dunlap went forth into the world a lone man, and 
in his travels found himself one day near the house of his former 
correspondent. A train of pleasant recollections followed. 
Was she married? No. A postal card opened the way to a 
renewed correspondence. A visit to the home of his corre- 
spondent followed. They talked of her dead lover, of his gal- 
lantry and manly bearing, and how he fell at the head of his 
men at the very point of the Confederate bayonets. Then they 
talked of something else, and matters flowed on so easily, 
smoothly, and naturally, that in a few weeks Mr. Dunlap found 

(392) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



393 



himself at his Indiana home busily engaged in preparing for 
the reception of a new mistress. And soon the little town of 
Waterford was all a blaze of light and a scene of general re- 
joicing, for the lady was popular and beloved by all. In the 
midst of a large assemblage the ceremony took place which 
united Miss Button and Mr. Dunlap in the bonds of matrimony. 



■^ <^ '-^^ ■'^^ <f^ 






JT was during the siege of 
(^f Wagner, and the Union 
parallels were but a few 
hundred yards away from the 
grim black tubes that ever and 
anon " enbowled with out- 
rageous noise and air — disgorg- 
ing foul their horrid glut of 
iron globes." A line of abatis 
was to be built across a clear 
space, in point-blank range of 
the Confederate gunners and 
sharpshooters. " Sergeant," 
says the officer in charge, "go 
pace that opening and give me 
the distance as near as possi- 
ble." Says the sergeant (for 
we will let him tell the rest of 
the story), " I started right off, 
and when I got to the opening 
I put 'er like a ship in a gale of 
wind. With grape, canister, 
round-shot, shell, and a regular 
bees' nest of rifle balls, whizzing 
around, I just think there must 
have been a fearful drain of 



ammunition on the Confeder- 
ate army about that time. I 
don't know how it was, I did 
not get so much as a scratch, 
but I did get powerfully scared. 
When I got under cover I 
couldn't 'er told for the life of 
me whether it was a hundred 
or a thousand paces. I should 
sooner guessed a hundred 
thousand. Says the captain: 
' Well, sergeant, what do you 
make it?' Soon's I could get 
my wind, says I: ' Give a 
guess, captain.' He looked 
across the opening a second 
or two and then said, 'A 
hundred and seventy-five 
paces, ^y!' 'Thunder! cap- 
tain,' sp.ys I, ' you've made a 
pretty close guess. It's just a 
one hundred and seventy-one.' 
And," concluded the sergeant, 
after the laugh had subsided, 
"that's how I got my shoulder- 
straps." 



The Capture of General Marmaduke, 

BATTLE OF OSAGE, AFTER A THRILLING CHARGE. 




OCTOBER 24, 1864. 
J. F^. IvIO NATHAN. 



'HE battle of the Osage 
was fought on the latter 
part of October, 1864. 
There were two engage- 
ments, one in the morning and 
one in the afternoon. 

During the morning fight 
the present governor of Mis- 
souri, General Marmaduke, 
was taken prisoner. I was a 
participator in the charge 
made by the Union forces, and 
an eye-witness of his capture, 
although his identity was not 
known for a half-hour after- 
wards. The country for miles 
in the Osage region is unbroken 
prairie; the ground undulat- 
ing; the hills and hollows 
seeming to run par^lel. It 
was, therefore, a model battle 
ground, and, in reading the 
accounts of the English cam- 
paign in the Soudan, I was 
reminded vividly of our pur- 
suit of the Confederates 
through Missouri. 

Just after crossing the dry 
bed of the Osasre river we 




heard skirmishing, and soon 
came in sight of the enemy 
formed in line of battle and 
waiting for us. I was captain 
of Co. H, 10th .Mo. cavalry; 
Colonel Bentine, commander, 
and General Pleasonton, bri- 
gade commander. My position 
was on the left, as we drew up 
in line. During my four years' 
service I had seen many won- 
derful sights, and had been in 
some very close quarters. But 
never had I seen !),()( )0 horse- 
men drawn up in battle array, 



(394) 






BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



395 



and the sight was a thrilling 
one. The enemy were well sup- 
ported by artillery. While we 
sat waiting for orders, Generals 
Pleasonton and Curtis came 
riding down between the lines. 
As they passed me I heard 
Pleasonton say, " We must 
come together now," These 
words, and the ominous looks 
of the cannon, assured me that 
a serious moment was at hand. 
I had $G00 about me, and I 
put it into an official envelope. 
I then directed it to my sister, 
and gave it to our surgeon, 
with the request to forward it 
in case of my death, or, as the 
boys were in the habit of saying, 
in case I did not " come out." 

At last the bugle sounded 
the charge and the long lines 
surged but no advance was 
made. 

Again the bugle rang out on 
the air, and again the lines 
wavered. 

Suddenly a rider on a white 
horse burst through the ranks 
and rode at the foe. Like an 
avalanche we followed. In 
the excitement every fear van- 
ished, and we rode through 
the enemy, dispersing them 
right and left. They had fired 
one volley but had had no time 
to reload. 

Their right wing was com- 
pletely cut off and surrounded. 



Having no other alternative 
they surrendered, and dis- 
mounting them we hurried 
them to the rear. On my way 
back with the prisoners, we 
met General James Lane going 
to the front. He stopped, and 
pushing his way through the 
guards and prisoners to a tall, 
fine-looking Confederate, held 
out his hand and said, " How 
do you do. General Marma- 
duke?" The man shook his 
hand warmly, and after a few 
words General Lane walked 
away taking Marmaduke with 
him. When taken General 
Marmaduke had on the hat a 
star and crescent. Colonel 
Bentine noticing the orna- 
ments cut them from his hat 
as trophies of war. The star 
when last heard from was in a 
museum in Chicago. General 
Marmaduke had no insignia 
of office from which he could 
be distinguished from the com- 
mon soldiers, having a simple 
gray uniform and a large 
slouch hat. 

The Confederates made a 
stand again in the afternoon, 
but before our onslaught again 
retreated. That night horses 
and men lay down and slept 
together. So utterly worn 
were we that no one thought 
of eating; going to sleep was 
much easier. 



S— SL 



=^^ 



j^— S 



SootiBg of Songferioms fon. 



p Bulled IPaSSeS ¥hP0ugh §ig BqcIy, IPiePGii^g §ig liung. 



One of War's Strange Happenings in tlie Mine Run Campaign. 

BY WARREN ^A/^ALTERS. 



^N the morning of the 2Gth 
of November, General 
Gregg, in command of the 
2d Division of Cavalry, 
crossed the Rapidan at Ely's 
Ford, They advanced some 
miles and halted for the night ' 
at Whitehall. Early the fol- 
lowing morning, Colonel Tay- 
lor's brigade proceeded over 
the plank road toward Orange 
Court House, the 3d Penn. in 
advance. Two miles brought 
them face to face with a large 
body of the enemy, hidden in 
a dense wilderness. Colonel 
Taylor dismounted his advance 
and deployed them in line. 

He succeeded in driving back 
the enemy some distance to a 
park of strongly fortified ar- 
tillery. The general saw he 
could no longer force a retreat, 
for he felt confident that he 
was facing a heavy body of 
infantry. During a partial 
cessation of the fire, C )lonel 







Taylor rode along the whole 
front hoping to obtain some 
idea of the character and num- 
ber of the foe. The dense 
undergrowth, however, pre- 
vented. A squadron of the 1st 
Mass., commanded by Lieut. 
C. A. Longfellow, was engaged 
in this skirmish. Young Long- 
fellow joined the general in his 
endeavor to discern the char- 
acter of the force contesting 
their advance. A sharp volley 
was fired, directed evidently 



(396) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



397 



at the two officers. The gen- 
eral paid little heed to the 
whistling musketry until he 
heard someone cry, " General, 
I'm shot!" Turning quickly the 
general made his way back 
and found the gallant young 
officer, a bullet having passed 
clear through his body. Lift- 
ing him tenderly from the 
earth, the general hurriedly 
moved him to the rear, the 
life-blood marking every step 
of the way. General Taylor 
could not repress thoughts of 
the sorrow the wire must carry 
to the poet's home. The wound 
must prove fatal, for the ball 
had pierced one of the boy's 
lungs. Yet it could be but a 
moment's sigh, for in the next 
moment the general ordered a 
charge along his whole line. 
With a yell, the men pressed 
forward, eager to avenge the 
death of their young officer. 
The result of that onset was 



the capture of almost the entire 
force of the enemy. 

This scene had almost grown 
rusty in General Taylor's mind. 
He thought of Lieutenant 
Longfellow as a victim of the 
cruel war, and had described 
the young officer's death in 
" Fighting o'er his battles by 
the quiet hearth." The death 
of the great poet himself was 
flashed over the wires. Among 
the names of the children who 
gathered about the coffin ap- 
peared the name of C. A. Long- 
fellow. It seemed incredible 
to General Taylor that he could 
be alive. A letter was dis- 
patched and until an answer 
should come all must be doubt. 
A letter came — brief, sad, and 
subdued, but the doubt is doubt 
no longer. C. A. Longfellow 
is no other than the Lieuten- 
ant Longfellow, shot down 
in a Virginia copse, April 27, 
18G3. 



SSBs- 




^"^^^ 



FIRST SHOT IN VIRGINIA. 



'*]p'HE first shot fired in Virginia was 
on the 7th of May, 1861, when the 
steamer " Yankee " was fired upon. It 
took place at a point contiguous to 
Yorktown on the Gloucester shore, and 
after the bombardment of Fort Sumter 
it was the first powder burnt in the 
war. 



R<i|)id Firing at Cedar Creek. 

^T the battle of Cedar Creek, on the 
^ 19th of October, 1864, the firing 
was the most constant and rapid ever 
heard on this continent, except at the 
battle of the Wilderness. 



Death of Jolin A. Piatt. 

^HE shot that killed John A. Piatt 
was the last rebel shot fired from 
the rebel works at Port Hudson. 



Destruction of the Albemarle. 

OCTOBER, 1864. 

THE MOST DARING NAVAL EXPLOIT OF THE WAR. 

W. p. DERBY, 27tti ]Mqss. 




N the evening of October 27, 1864, Lieut. W. B. 
Gushing, U. S. N., and a crew of thirteen men 
ascended the Roanoke river on a steam launch, to 
destroy the ram Albemarle, at Plymouth, N. 
A mile below the town the channel was obstructed 
by the wreck of the steamer Southfield, and by sunken 
schooners. A guard of twenty men at this point were 
captured without the firing of a gun. These were sent 
down tlie river, and about 2 a, m. the 28th, Gushing reached a posi- 
tion opposite the ram which he discovered to be fastened to a 
wharf and surrounded thirty feet distant by a line of logs 
firmly chained together. Cushing's launch was armed with a 
boom on which to suspend a torpedo and also with a howitzer. 
Keeping close to the river bank opposite the town and the ram 
— it was a low heavily wooded bank well adapted to shade his 
launch — he gained a point above sufficient to get the advantage 
of the current, when he turned, and when discovered by the 
enemy was bearing bow on to the ram. The enemy sprang 
their rattle, rang their bell, and commenced firing upon the 
launch. Lieutenant Gushing gave them two charges of can- 
ister and with full steam bore down with such speed as to 
break the log obstructions around the Albemarle. Lowering 
the boom of the launch with a torpedo attached, by a vigorous 
and dexterous push he forced it under the ram and exploded it. 
With the explosion came a dense flood of water engulfing 
the deck, and also a plunging shot from the Albemarle, 
which crashed through the launch. While freeing himself 
from the log obstructions, the enemy opened a vigorous mus- 
ketry fire upon Gushing and his crew, and repeatedly demanded 
his surrender. Finding the launch fast sinking the brave lieu- 

(398) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 399 

tenant gave the order, "every man for himself," threw off his 
coat and shoes, and, jumping overboard, swam for the opposite 
shore. The launch sank within fifteen feet of the Albemarle. 
The Union crew had followed the example of their gallant 
commander, but most of them were either captured or shot 
while in the water. Only Lieutenant Gushing and a colored 
sailor succeeded in reaching the opposite shore. They pene- 
trated some distance into the swamp and remained secreted 
until late in the afternoon. The enemy searched the swamp 
diligently during the early part of the day, and were several 
times in close proximity to the fugitives, but being buried to 
the neck in water the reeds and brush easily hid them from 
view. Late in the day. Lieutenant Gushing approached the 
river, and, to his great joy, found that the Albemarle was 
sunk, the smoke stack standing as a monument over its watery 
grave. With a light heart he made his way to Middle river 
(from a short distance above Plymouth the Roanoke flows in 
three channels to the sound). After a considerable search, a 
skiff was found and he reached the U. S. gunboat Valley 
Gity at the mouth of the river at 11 o'clock p. m. He was 
immediately taken to Commander Macomb, and received hearty 
congratulations over his escape and the success of his advent- 
ure. This act of Lieut. W. B. Gushing was one of the most 
daring and creditable of the war, and resulted in the reoccupa- 
tion of Plymouth by the Union forces two days later. 

Lieutenant Gushing, at this time, was hardly twenty-one 
years of age. He was of slight figure, fair, with clear cut 
features, and a clear grayish-blue eye. His life was full of 
daring adventures, and when the war closed he was one of the 
heroes of the hour. He bore himself with great modesty, and 
died in 1871 honored of his country and lamented by all. 



SAVED BY GRANGER'S CORPS. JEFF. DAVIS NOMINATED. 



KT the battle of Chickamauga the ^R. George W. Bagbj', a private in Co. 

^ day was saved by a charge of A, 11th Va., said he was the very 

Granger's corps, led by Col. G. M. L. first man to nominate Jeff Davis for 

Johnston of the 13th Ind. Cavalry. President of the Southern Confederacy. 



WAR'S HUMOROUS SIDE. 



A Whole Train of Soldiers Attacked by a Tipsy Colonel 
Ludicrous Sxanipede;. 



E-S- ■TTT'. SCOTT. 




"UST before the battle of Gettysburg, a detachment 
of Confederates made a raid into the rich grazing 
fields of West Virginia, to secure cattle and 
.,^ horses for Lee's army. They advanced 
towards Clarksburg, where General Roberts 
I was stationed, with about 6,000 Federal troops. 
They did not attempt to take Clarksburg; in 
fact, did not want to do it if it were possible. 
S The Confederates simply desired to tear up the 
track of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. One of the places 
which they intended to strike was West Union, a small village, 
twenty-two miles west of Clarksburg. West Union was gar- 
risoned by some state militia, called out to help "wipe 
out " the raiders, and they were commanded by a colonel who 
resided there. The colonel was in the habit of taking period- 
ical sprees, and, when in that condition, feared neither man or 
devil. He was informed of the intention of the raiders, and it 
happened that he was on a regular tear at the time. He girt 
his sword about him, swore he was not going to have his 
property taken, and that he would wipe the raiders out of 
existence. 

The day passed, and no enemy came. When night came, the 
colonel concluded that he would guard the town himself. He 
called in his forces and ordered them to go into camp and go to 
sleep; then with sword in hand he paced to and fro through 
the streets, keeping his passions at white heat by frequent 
libations from his liquor cellar. General Roberts concluded 
in the evening that he had better send the colonel re-enforce- 

(400) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 401 

merits, and, as it was dark, he dispatched a train of cars from 
Clarksburg, with troops for West Union. With all lights 
extinguished, the train quietly glided along the railroad track, 
and West Union was reached about midnight. They could not, 
however, elude the vigilance of the intrepid colonel. The night 
was as dark as pitch, and all was silent as death, as the darkened 
train slowly pulled up to the platform, and the troops com- 
menced to disembark. The colonel's time had come. Nerving 
himself for the conflict and waving his sword over his head, 
he dashed upon the supposed foe, shouting as he came up: 
" Get out of this, you d— d rebels, or I'll kill you all," and 
commenced cutting and slashing among the troops. Gabriel's 
horn would not have been a more complete surprise than the 
colonel's gallant charge, and the soldiers gave back in dismay. 
The colonel, seeing his advantage, continued to denounce them 
for their rebellious conduct, and unheard of impertinence. He 
was finally induced to stay his hand; explanations followed 
and the colonel and the officers fell back on the cellar and 
drank each other's health in good old apple jack. 

One of the amusing incidents of the war that occurred at 
Clarksburg, Va., did not terminate happily. Soon after hostili- 
ties began, a New York regiment arrived at Clarksburg, said 
to be the largest regiment ever seen in the field. How so many 
men got crowded into one regiment was more than any mortal 
could tell. It was said to number some 1,700 men. The colonel 
commanding the regiment had little confidence in the staying 
qualities of his men, should they be called upon to engage the 
enemy. They had never been in a battle and did not seem to 
be spoiling for a fight. It was rumored that the Confederates 
were advancing upon Clarksburg and the colonel determined 
to test the courage of his troops. He secretly took a dozen 
soldiers a couple of miles from the town and concealed them 
on an eminence above the road, and told them when he brought 
his regiment opposite them to fire, and to give the " rebel yell." 
He then returned to town, formed his regiment, told them the 
enemy was advancing on the town, and that they must go out 
and meet him. With blanched cheeks, the men rode after their 
colonel until tlie ambush was reached. About this time the 
fear among the men that they would meet the enemy had done 
its work. Suddenly the roar of musketry was heard, and a 
dozen balls went whistling over their heads. As though 

26 



402 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



actuated by a single impulse, every man rushed down the 
road as though pursued by a million devils. 

Away they went, belter skelter, all bent upon placing them- 
selves under the protection of the fortifications at Clarksburg. 
It was a race such as never had been seen in that country 
before, and a similar one may never be seen again. The road 
was narrow and they went crowding and crushing along, each 
trying to pass all the rest. At length they dashed into the 
streets of the town, but the stampede did not stop there. They 
dashed on through the streets to reach a fort on the hill at the 
opposite end of the town. While running through the streets the 
horse of one of the soldiers in front stumbled and fell, and in 
less time than we can write it, the frightened men and horses 
had passed over the rider and horse, and trampled them to 
death. The men did not stop until the fort was reached. 
Thus terminated, with the loss of one life, the most ludicrous 
and disgraceful stampede witnessed during the war. 

-0 — ^i>— ;-<" — • 



MEMORIAL. 



QEN. ULYSSES S. QRANX. 

Born 27th April, 1S22. Died 23d July, 1SS5. 



N iron soldier ! When red war 

^ nnfurled 

O'er all the myriad leagues of 
the New World 
Its desolating banner, when fierce hate 
And brother-sundering feud first shook 

the state, 
Two noble names shone chiefly, Lee and 

Grant, 
These twain, titanically militant, 
Shocked like conflicting avalanches. 

Now 
Peace, brooding o'er the land with placid 

brow, 
Sees the great fighters fallen. He at last. 
The calm, tenacious man, who seemed to 

cast 
Defiant looks at Death, the stoic stern, 



AVhom long-drawn anguish could not 

bend or turn, 
Lies prone, at peace, after such stress of 

grief 
As must have found the summons glad 

relief. 
An iron soldier. If, as foemen say. 
Mixed with true metal much of earthly 

clay 
Marred the heroic in him of full state, 
His land will not record him less than 

great, 
Who, in her hour of need, stood firm 

and stayed 
The tide of dissolution. Unafraid 
The people's heart, the patriot muse, 

may vaunt 
The golden service of Ulysses Grant. 



DECEMBER 25, 1864. 

A SCENE NEVER BEFORE EQUALED IN NAVAL WARFARE. 

BY JOSEPH C. CANNING. 






30RT Fisher's reduction was a matter of grave 
__^ ^^ consideration with the Federal government, so 

^ k^^^^^^ vital was it to the life of the Confederacy. As 
early as October, 18G2, Maj.-Gen. John G. 
^^ ^^^° Foster, commanding at New - Berne, N. C. , 
assured me that the fleet might expect 10,000 
men in November, to assist in attacking the fort; but disasters 
to our army prevented this glad expectancy. It was not until 
December, 1864, that the work was attempted, at which time 
some 7.000 men under Major-General Butler in transports, and 
8,000 officers and men in about sixty vessels of the navy, under 
Admiral Porter, were sent to capture the fort. The prelude 
consisted of a very novel experiment. An old dismantled craft, 
the Louisiana, carrying two hundred and sixty tons of pow- 
der was run in under the fort and left to be blown up. It was 
the opinion of the originator of this brilliant idea that such an 
explosion would create a vacuum sufficient to throw the guns of 
the fort from their position and disable the garrison, and assure 
an easy victory. The report was that Lowell, Mass., was the 
place of this scientific conception. The result was a heavy and 
costly failure. For four days we were pitching and lurching, 
and during a storm the Louisiana broke adrift, but while 
drifting past the monitor Monadnock, she was cleverly 
saved. The evening of December 24, the boat was sent in to 
the fort to accomplish its work. The fleet was to marshal in 
order of battle at the explosion and follow for the fight. It had 
been calculated that the machinery in the Louisiana for ex- 

(403) 



404 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

ploding the cargo would ignite the fuse about 5 a. m. But at 
;^.15 A. M., a lurid light was visible shorewards, accompanied by 
a muffled growl, and a strong sulphurous smell was soon de- 
tected. A fearful heart-sinking followed. The line of battle 
could not be formed in the darkness and we were ten miles out 
from the fort. While we felt a trembling jar, the inhabitants 
of Beaufort, eighty miles away, were aroused from slumber by 
rattling windows, but in the fort itself a supposition prevailed 
that one of the blockaders had come to grief. 

At 5 P. M. the fleet formed the battle line and steamed in 
shore. The New Ironsides threw the first shot at three minutes 
to 1 P. M., followed by the broadsides of the entire fleet, — 
ships of the line, second-raters, third-raters, gunboats, all 
opening their iron mouths at once. The deafening, thundering 
noise, the bursting shells mingling with the screaming, fiying 
projectiles, the curling smoke and clouds of rings to and from 
the opposite batteries, completed a scene never before equaled 
in naval warfare. On deck, the spectacle was wild. The stern 
faces of officers and men, covered with the dust of burnt sabots, 
grimed with powder and perspiration, yet all eager, cool, and 
determined. There were accidents from bursting ordnance; 
deaths from the enemy's shots and scalding steam. While the 
bombardment was progressing, the transports were debarking 
the troops further up the beach; but, before the debarkment 
had been completed Major-General Butler ordered the same to 
cease. Some 2,000 men had already been sent ashore; the fire 
from the fort had perceptibly weakened and confidence was 
exultant. On the morrow embarkation succeeded debarkation, 
and the third day transports and troops steamed back to For- 
tress Monroe. The bombardment had been abandoned and the 
Union disgraced. 



A GRAND RECORD. 5th New York at Antietam. 



^ELAWARE sent seventy-foiir and TT was the 5th N. Y. Regt. which led 

eight-tenths per cent, of her mili- the advance of the army from South 

tary population to the war, a larger Mountain to Antietam creek, develop- 

percentage than that of any other ing the enemy's position, unmasking 

state. Massachusetts sent fifty-eight his batteries, and capturing 100 pris- 

per cent. oners. 



'fierid^Fi QgdiPigt $t^(irt. 



1864. 



Raid of the Federal Cavalry Corps from the Rappahannock to the James. 



CUSTER'S CHARGE AT YELLOW TAVERN. 



General Stuart's Death within Earshot of Richmond. 

By BREVET LIEUT. -COL. THEO. W. BEAN, C. C. A. of P. 



;N" the promotion of Maj.-Gen. U. S. Grant to be lieutenant- 
; general in 1864, and the establishment of his headquarters 
with the Army of the Potomac, he brought with him from 
"^ the West only one general field officer; Maj.-Gen. Philip H. 
Sheridan, of whom the East- 
ern public and Army of the 
Potomac knew little, save 
that he was a successful di- 
vision commander in the 
Southwest. The advent of 
Sheridan as commander of 
the cavalry corps was fol- 
lowed by the reorganiza- 
tion of the divisions. Brig.- 
Gen. A. T. A. Torbert was 
assigned to the command 
of the 1st Division, with 
the following brigade com- 
manders: 1st Brigade, Gen- 
eral Custer; 2d Brigade, Colonel Devin; Reserve Brigade, Gen- 
eral Merritt; 2d Division, Brig. -Gen. David M. C. M. Gregg; 
1st Brigade, Brigadier-General Davies; 2d Brigade, Colonel 
Gregg; 3d Division, Brigadier-General Wilson; 1st Brigade, 
Colonel Avery; 2d Brigade, Colonel Pennington. 

(405) 




406 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

On the night of May 8, the cavalry corps was massed on the 
extreme left of Grant on the main road from Fredericksburg 
to Chancellors ville. Sheridan's orders contemplated catting 
Lee's communications from his base of supplies, raiding his 
rear, threatening Richmond, and thus affording them an oppor- 
tunity of meeting the Confederate cavalry upon a fair open 
field. Grant's advance had reached and passed Spottsylvania 
Court House. He had driven Lee from the Rappahannock, a 
line which Mr. Davis had declared could be held for " twenty 
years if the necessities of the Confederacy required it." The 
corps was standing to horse before the sun of the 0th rose upon 
the grand pageant of the army. The number of men including 
the horse artillery was estimated at 9,000, and with the ammu- 
nition and the limited baggage and ambulance trains, the col- 
umn was between nine and ten miles long. 

Owing to the severe illness of General Torbert, Gen. Wesley 
Merritt was in command of the 1st Division. This division ad- 
vanced rapidly the morning of the 9th, the objective point 
being Beaver Dam Station, on the Virginia Central railroad. 
By sunrise we crossed the head waters of the Mattapony river. 
The 1st Division halted only at Childsburg; and there only to 
mass and close up. No serious obstacle was met in front or on 
our flank. The 2d and 3d Divisions, however, were less fortu- 
nate. General Stuart was not long in learning of the move, 
and by midday he was felt on both flanks and rear of the mov- 
ing column. This gave impetus to our troops, who scented a 
prize at Beaver Dam Station. The leading brigade was Gen- 
eral Custer's, composed of the 1st, 5th, Gth, and 7th Mich. 
Regts. It was near 9 p. m. when we reached Beaver Dam Sta- 
tion. The station was unguarded and the charging squadron 
promptly made prisoners of all the employes and compelled 
them to signal all approaching trains and have them stop at the 
station. The telegraph operator informed us that two trains 
would be at the station in less than half an hour, one from 
Richmond with ammunition and supplies for Lee, and the other 
from Lee's army with prisoners. This was cheering news. 
Every precaution was taken to insure their capture. Soon the 
vt^histle •' down brakes " was heard and the down train slowed 
up at the station. The Michigan boys captured the train and 
were overjoyed at the deliverance of some 400 prisoners, over 
one-half of whom belonged to their brigade, having been capt- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 407 

ured in the engagement of May 6, while uncovering Lee's 
right flank. 

The joy of the occasion was intensified by the arrival and 
capture of the train from Richmond with supplies; and every 
precaution was now taken to prevent a surprise and to resist 
attack. The railroad was occupied for a safe distance east and 
west, the cars were fired, and the track torn up for a mile or 
more in each direction. By midnight, the command was 
quietly resting within the well-guarded lines of the corps. The 
burning of the station and other property was contrary to Gen- 
eral Sheridan's orders, as the light from the conflagration 
enabled Stuart to turn his guns upon us. At the dawn of day, 
to the music of shot and shell, we moved in the direction of 
Richmond, deferring the pleasure of coffee and accompani- 
ments until a later hour in the day. 

The head of the column met with no impeding force on the 
10th, but fighting took place on the marching flank of the 2d 
and 3d Divisions, and the rear guard was frequently forced 
rapidly back. The weather was clear, the roads good, the 
country open and admirably adapted to the movement of 
mounted troops. Charge and counter-charge were frequently 
witnessed on the flanks and rear of the column, as it crowded 
its way towards the Confederate capital. It was known that 
we would reach Richmond before sunset May 11. Whether 
Stuart had passed our left flank and thus defeated our intended 
surprise was a question to us. The rank and file fully compre- 
hended the situation, and believed that only a portion of Lee's 
cavalry were pressing our rear, while the best of their mounted 
troops would be met at Brook pike, about seven miles north- 
west of Richmond. It turned out that Stuart crossed our rear 
late on the 9th, passed our marching flank on the 10th, and by 
noon of the 11th had placed batteries covering every road lead- 
ing to Richmond north of the James river. 

The 2d Brigade under Colonel Devin advanced the 11th, the 
reserve brigade under General Gibbs, supporting it, and met 
Stuart's outposts on the mountain road about noon. The enemy, 
driven back over Brook pike, took a strong position on a ridge 
of open country, his left covering the Brook pike, and his right 
west of the public road leading from Atlee's Station. The Con- 
federates' resistance was stubborn and our troops were largely 
dismounted before they succeeded in reaching and passing 



408 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Brook pike. Stuart's battery had perfect range of our horses 
in rear of the carbineers, and shell and shot were playing 
havoc with the poor brutes. Meantime the enemy was thun- 
dering upon the rear divisions of Gregg and Wilson and the 
firing indicated a line of battle forming upon all sides of us. 
The situation by 3.30 p. m. was one of great anxiety. Within 
an area of ten miles, 18,000 cavalry were forming their lines for 
deadly battle. The prize was an important one. Not only was 
the reputation of the leaders at issue, but Richmond was in 
actual danger, for at that hour only the line of Stuart lay be- 
tween Sheridan and the Confederate capital; on the other hand, 
if Stuart could hold us until the morrow, troops could be has- 
tened forward from Petersburg and our column could be 
crushed on the 12th. There were many distinguished officers 
in command of the Confederate line in front of us, — Stuart, 
Fitz Lee, and Lomax, and they were well known to Gregg, 
Merritt, Gibbs, and Custer. Stuart was in the zenith of his 
great reputation, while Sheridan had yet to meet his superior 
in the field. 

It was at this critical hour that Custer rode up to Merritt and 
said, "Merritt, I am going to charge that battery." Merritt 
responded, " Go in, general, I will give you all the support in 
my power." Just at this moment General Sheridan and staff 
reached our headquarters and reported our line on flank and 
rear secure beyond all doubt. General Merritt immediately 
told Sheridan that Custer was about to charge the battery that 
had given us so much trouble. Sheridan's reply was: "Bully 
for Custer! I'll wait and see it." Custer formed his brigade in 
column of regiments, placing his mounted band in front. His 
headquarters flag — of the gayest colors — was flying in advance 
of the moving mass of glittering blades. The shrill blast of 
one hundred bugles and the familiar air of "Yankee Doodle" 
rang out upon the battle field while fully 1,800 brave men of the 
Michigan brigade rode boot to boot into what seemed the very 
jaws of death. There was a depression in the plain between 
where Custer formed and the position occupied by the battery. 
The task was further complicated by a deep "Virginia ditch," 
over which were three corduroy field bridges. This ditch was 
impassable in Custer's front, and the entire brigade had to 
break from regimental front to column of fours, cross the 
bridge, and then reform in the face of a terrific fire from the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 409 

battery. Fortunately the enemy's guns could not be depressed 
sufficiently to be effective. This obstacle overcome, the charge 
was made up the rising ground, within sight of the Union line. 
The wild huzzas of thousands went up to cheer the gallant 
horsemen as they dashed upon and passed the guns, completely 
stampeding the troops in support of the artillery. In less than 
twenty minutes from the time the bugle sounded, the enemy 
was completely routed. 

Many were killed and captured, and all of their artillery save 
one piece — and that flying from the field — fell into our hands. 
The enemy retired so rapidly that capture was impossible, and 
the recall was sounded within a mile from the point where the 
battery was captured. 

General Sheridan remained an eye-witness to the splendid 
charge. As Custer's men emerged from the depression at a 
trot and struck the gallop, under the firing of the battery, the 
scene was of the most exciting character. When the guns 
were reached and passed, the whole line from right to left was 
advanced, and victory was assured to the Union troops. At 
this moment. General Sheridan turned to Merritt, his face 
radiant with joy, and said: " General Merritt, send a staff offi- 
cer to General Custer and give him my compliments. The con- 
duct of himself and of his brigade deserves the most honorable 
mention." General Custer received the compliment with evi- 
dent pleasure, modestly expressing his thanks, saying he 
deemed the "honorable mention" of his brigade a most pleas- 
ing and fortunate episode of his life. The situation, for hours 
previous so critical, was now one of undoubted success. The 
news that General Stuart was mortally wounded soon reached 
us through prisoners, and farther that the Confederate cavalry 
were unsupported by troops from Richmond. The latter was 
desirable news. The command was given two hours to prepare 
coffee and food for the men and to feed and groom the horses, 
preparatory to a night march. As soon as Stuart's line was 
broken at Yellow Tavern, his right and left wings withdrew 
from the front. This uncovered the Brook pike, and a regiment 
of the 2d Brigade, under direction of Colonel Devin, advanced 
to Richmond and halted at the outer line of defenses. It re- 
mained there until dark. A field hospital was established 
under care of our medical officers, and, bidding good-by to the 
brave comrades who were too badly wounded to be removed, 



410 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

the command took up the line of march for the night. The 
darkness was mtense. The 17th Penn. Cavalry, Colonel Ander- 
son commanding, drove the local troops to the Meadow bridge 
over the Chickahominy, and by 10 p. m. had a picket post 
within three miles of Mr. Davis's mansion. They held this po- 
sition until the morning of the 12th. The enemy planted ex- 
plosives in the bed of the road and greatly annoyed our mid- 
night march, at the same time indicating our exact location 
during every hour of the march. Several thousand troops 
were detached from the army confronting General Butler, and 
were rapidly marched during the night of the 11th to the works 
on the northwest of Richmond, with orders to attack us at day- 
light. General Hampton reorganized the cavalry, and during 
the night took position near Meadow bridge. By 3 o'clock a. m. 
of the 12th, the command, with its trains, was on the road lead- 
ing to Meadow bridge and within three miles of the heart of the 
city. The bells could be clearly heard and many lights dis- 
tinctly seen. Towards four o'clock a. m. it began to rain in 
torrents. The situation was critical, and the rain soon rendered 
it almost impossible to move our artillery on the battle line or 
to park the trains at points necessary for their protection. 

By seven o'clock a. m., the Union line formed the arc of a 
circle, the left resting on the Chickahominy at a point some 
three hundred yards southeast of the railroad bridge, and the 
right resting in air where the road on which we were marching 
unites with the Brook pike. To pass the Chickahominy, the 
1st Division under General Merritt was dismounted and di- 
rected to dislodge the troops under Hampton. The old wooden 
bridge appeared to be in the last stages of public usefulness. 
The carbineers, armed with Spencer seven-shooters, passed the 
bridge under a galling fire and secured a foothold on the east 
side. The resistance was stubborn and the struggle was con- 
tinued with considerable loss. General Merritt had no doubt 
that he could dislodge the enemy, but General Sheridan feared 
that the enemy in front of Gregg and Wilson would force them 
to retire too rapidly, and having but a single roadway and a 
narrow track bridge it might be attended with confusion and 
loss. 

Could not the railroad bridge within our line be utilized? 
True, it was an open bridge: but if planked or covered it could 
be used for dismounted troops. Fully a thousand hands were 



J 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



411 



soon at work pulling down fences and frame buildings, and in 
less than two hours the motley crowd could be seen making 
good time for the James river. Our advance had been checked 
for at least three hours, during which time Gregg and Wilson 
successfully resisted several well directed efforts of the enemy 
to break their line. Meanwhile, General Merritt, with the 1st 
Division dismounted, forced the enemy to retire from the posi- 
tion on the east side of the bridge, and by noon the passage of 
the corps was safely effected, the rear guard being closely fol- 
lowed by the enemy. The command encamped near Mechan- 
icsville for the night without further molestation. The next 
day, May 13, the march was made across the Peninsula, reach- 
ing Malvern Hill about two o'clock p. m. Here we were met by 
the gunboats conveying supplies for both man and beast. We 
had been out four days and had lost 715 in killed and wounded. 

THE SOLDIER'S LAST WORD. 

• By PARK BENJAMIN. 



5E lay upon the battle field, 
t^l.l/ Where late the crash of arms 

<> '^ was heard, 

And from his pallid lips there came, 

In broken accents, one fond word. 

"Mother! " was all the soldier said, 
As, freshly from his wounded side, 

The hot blood flowed and bore away 
His life upon its crimson tide. 

Bravest among the brave he rushed, 
Without a throb or thought of fear. 

And loudest 'mid the tumult pealed, 
In clarion tones, his charging cheer : — 

On to the battle ! comrades, on ! 

Strike for the Union ! strike for fame I 
Who lives, will win his country's praise, 

Who dies, will leave a glorious name. 



Alas ! what courage can advance 
Against a storm of iron hail? 

What hearts repel a fiery sleet. 

Though clad, like ancient knights, in 
mail ? 

He sunk beneath the weaves of strife. 
Among an undistinguished train, 

Foremost upon the battle field. 
And first among the early slain. 

Dying, he turned him from the flag, 
Whose Stars and Stripes still onwai'd 
waved ; 

Dying, he thought no more of fame, 
Of victory won, or country saved. 

No ! for his home and her he loved 
His sad, departing spirit sighed ; 

" Mother !." the soldier fondly said. 
And, looking toward the North, he 
died. 



^i 




1864. 

A BRILLIANT SUNDAY MORNING SURPRISE PARTY. 



Thousands of Southern Citizens Rush to the Protection of Federal Guns. 



SCENES OF DEMORALIZATION UNPARALLELED DURING THE WAR. 
By A. W. PEARSON, U. S. N., Paymaster U. S. Steamship Red Clover, Miss. Squadron. 



|(^ EMPHIS, in 1864, was apparently secure in the pro- 
f tection of Uncle Sam's forces. At the navy yard lay 
y^^ two of our strongest iron-clads, the Louisville and the 
Essex. The heavy guns of Fort Pickering commanded 
the city from the southward, and the main approaches from the 
east and northeast were held by numerous regiments of cavalry 
and infantry. There was no suspicion of danger; business 
and pleasure went on in their usual rounds; the farmers daily 
hauled their produce for trade, and we had forgotten that grim- 
visaged war had not yet smoothed his wrinkled front; if an 
uneasy Jeremiah had ventured to predict the catastrophe of the 
coming day he would have been laughed at as a lunatic. The 
city was the depot for vast stores of war material, and the site 
of numerous hospitals. 

The general commanding had dispensed with the austerities 
of camp life, establishing his headquarters in a city residence. 
Many subordinate officers followed his example and either kept 
house or boarded at the elegant Gayoso Hotel, close under Fort 
Pickering's guns. 

Such was the status of things on the evening of Saturday, 
August 20. 

I left the steamer Red Rover lying at the navy yard, and 
passed the night with army acquaintances up town, earnestly en- 
gaged in the solution of the mysteries of a game of cards. The 
dawn of the 21st was trying to pierce the fog when I started to 

(412) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 413 

return on board. My attention was attracted by the clatter of a 
troop of horses, passing along the street. A moment afterward 
I was startled by the sound of a shot, a few blocks distant. 

While reflecting upon the meaning of this uncanny report, I 
was interested by the speech of an old lady who was gazing 
down at me from a second story window. With an indescriba- 
ble expression, she said: " Good Lord! man, the rebs is in town! 
A whole crowd jist went by on horseback!" Scarcely crediting 
this improbable statement, I quickened my pace, accelerated 
by another shot or two down the street. At the next block I 
came across the prostrate form of a Union officer. He was 
shot through the breast. This surely looked ugly. Everything 
was enveloped in fog and uncertainty. 

As I turned from Madison to Front streets I bounced upon a 
young darky, who gasped: " Massa, de rebs is heali, shuah! 
Run!" and suiting action to the word, he skedaddled. I had 
restricted myself to pretty long and rapid steps, but now I 
fairly sailed over the jimson weeds to the Memphis levee. All 
hands were called, steam was raised, and we waited for " some- 
thing to turn up." 

About 9 A. M. the fog lifted, and seeing no signs of an enemy 
I ventured to return to our naval hospital. No intimation of 
danger had yet reached this sanctuary, so I determined to con- 
tinue to the Gayoso House. A crowd was about the entrance 
and there I soon learned that I had not been terrified by 
shadows. The enemy had indeed been in town and had called 
at the hotel. Forrest's forces surrounded the Gayoso soon after 
daybreak, and sent a few files into the house to "pick up the 
game." Regardless of courtesy they passed along the corridors, 
and opened the bedroom doors with the butts of their carbines. 
If the divested clothing of the occupant bore any of the in- 
signia of Uncle Sam, the owner of the duds was invited to step 
forth, and he did not cease stepping until he had traveled on 
foot some sixty miles from the city of Memphis. 

A friend of mine was awake, and, hearing the unusual clat- 
ter of hoofs, sprang from his bed and rushed to the window. 
He did not err in guessing at what must be the matter. Catch- 
ing up his uniform he threw it beneath a pile of soiled linen 
assorted for the wash. Knowing where the " colored help " of 
the hotel roosted, he dashed for one of their rooms, and popped 
into bed between two of the daughters of Ham, who were re- 



414 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

posing in peaceful ignorance of impending peril. Hastily 
informing his sable friends of the stress of necessity, they cov- 
ered him up, head and ears in their midst, and when the Con- 
federacy smashed in their door they saluted them with such an 
outburst of outraged modesty that the invaders refrained from 
investigation. When the coast was clear my friend emerged 
from his dusky retreat, with an all pervading sense of the 
strength of " contraband " assistance. 

Forrest also sent a detachment to capture the commanding 
general. Here his men blundered. While they were examin- 
ing the front of the building the general and his aides escaped 
through the rear door, and over the garden fence, making safe 
retreat to Fort Pickering. Reaching camp I found sad evidence 
of the consequences of Forrest's untimely visit. A part of our 
soldiers were engaged in the excavation of a long trench by the 
roadside, destined to receive the bodies of the Confederate dead. 
In the midst of the camp, lay our boys who had fallen in the 
combat. 

General Forrest, by visiting the city in disguise, had ac- 
quainted himself with the state of its defenses, and at dawn on 
Sunday, under cover of the dense fog, with 1500 cavalry came 
in on the Hernando road, drove in Wood's pickets, reached and 
charged through the camp, firing upon the tents and slaughter- 
ing their inmates almost before they were awake. I counted 
twenty bullet holes in one tent. The brigade quartermaster, 
Johnson Smith, a prominent lawyer of Warsaw, 111., was a 
aroused by the firing, and stepped outside of the tent just as a 
man rode past. He asked the horseman what was the matter, 
and for reply received a carbine shot through the breast. I 
visited him in the hospital the day after the action. He showed 
me the blue orifice where the ball entered and where it had 
passed out between his shoulders. He thought ''it would not 
amount to much," and that he would " soon get over it." The 
next day he was over it, and over all his mortal trouble. Sev- 
eral thousand troops were encamped around the city, all within 
earshot of the fight, and all under arms; only waiting for in- 
formation and orders from headquarters. Unfortunately, head- 
quarters not being where they should have been, had been 
stampeded. The alarm had become pretty well spread; the fog 
was lifting, and Forrest, well aware that he was encircled by 
force enough to devour his command if they could only see how 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 415 

to catch it, successfully" retreated, carrying with him eighty 
prisoners, and leaving a ghastly array of killed and wounded. 
The second day following, the whole city was again thrown 
into a fever of excitement. The fortifications and troops kept 
up a clash of arms the entire day. When at last the trouble 
was solved it was found that a body of negro troops had 
marched from their camp into some woods to drill at firing, and 
this was construed into an attack, while a white cow peacefully 
wagging her tail to keep off the mosquitoes, upon the opposite 
bank of the river, had been supposed to be a flag of truce from 
Kirby Smith and Dick Taylor, demanding the surrender of the 
city. 



A FLAG WITH A HISTORY. 



C<>HE old flag of the 123(1 Regt. St. Paul, in Decatur county, and, refus- 
'%^ Ind. Vols., which has been ing to give it up, the two carne to blows 
'^ O^ missing for years, and was and engaged in a bloody fight. Arnold 
long ago given up by the state authori- came out victorious and obtained 
ties as lost forever, bobbed up serenely possession of the old flag, which he 
recently, in a badly damaged con- shipped to Col. E. H. "Wolfe, auditor of 
dition, and was placed among the regi- the state, who was as proud as if he 
mental standards in the custody of the had captured a fort when he marched 
state librarian. The history of its into the state library with it and de- 
wanderings is not fully known, but a livered it to the safe-keeping of the 
short time ago it was discovered by librarian. The flag has suffered some 
William Arnold, — brother of Mrs. Wal- from improper handling and exposure, 
ton, the woman recently convicted of It is full of bullet holes, and hangs in 
complicity in the murder of her husband, tatters, but there is still enough of it 
— in the possession of a man living near left worth preserving. 



First Passenger Train Captured. 



Tip'HE first time during the war that a 
passenger train was captured and 
robbed, was in February, 1864, when 
the rebels captured the Baltimore ex- 
press train for Wheeling. The capture 
was made near Kearneysville, Western 
Virsinia. 



CAPTURING A SPY. 



By "OLD REGAN." 




EAR the spot where our regiment was encamped was 
1^ a small earthwork. It contained a battery of twelve 
pounders, besides a huge eleven-inch gun which was 
elevated on a mound so that it could command the 
ford across the creek. We 
had a cook, named Hans, who 
was a short, thick-set young- 
German of eighteen or nine- 
teen years; extremely awkward 
and with unmistakable Teu- 
tonic features. A shock of 
yellow hair added much to his 
ludicrous appearance. Hans 
was no coward. We tried sev- 
eral jokes on him, but all were 
sorry failures. In fact, he 
wouldn't scare " worth a cent"; 
so two of us made a bold plan 
to try and frtghten him. He 
had the habit of mounting the great gun every morning after 
his work was done, and, straddling it, sit in deep thought, gaz- 
ing pensively towards the Confederate pickets. One evening, 
Samuel Jones got the artillerist who had charge of the gun to 
load it as heavily as possible and put the touch-hole in good 
trim. In the morning, Hans, as usual, straddled the gun. 
Sam and I crept up behind, without disturbing him. I dropped 
my cigar in the touch-hole, and the great cannon fairly leaped 
into the air, as it belched forth its flame and smoke. The shock 
was terrible, and almost knocked us over. Hans went fully fif- 
teen feet into the air and came down on his feet without any 
bones broken. Yelling like a maniac, he clapped his hands 
to the seat of his breeches and pranced around, but when he 
saw us, his fury was awful. "You Yankee dogs," he 

(416) 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



417 



shouted, " I'll pay you back for this." It was all said in good 
English, and quite in contrast with his former Teutonic brogue. 
Seeing our looks of surprise, he turned deadly pale, faced 
around, and ran swiftly toward the Confederate pickets. Sam 
and I dashed after him, shouting at the top of our voices, "A 
spy! a spy!" But he was swifter than we, and reached the 
river first. He plunged into the stream and swam manfully 
towards the other side. I was a good swimmer, and there are 
not many men who can beat me swimming, so I plunged in, 
and in a few strokes I was near enough to catch Hans by the leg. 
He struggled terribly and buried his bowie in my shoulder; 
but I clung to him, and with the help of a half-dozen others, 
brought him ashore, amid the shouts of those who lined the 
banks. Hans turned out to be one of the best spies the enemy 
had had. He liad been in our camp over two months, and a great 
deal of valuable information was hidden in his boots. Samuel 
and I told the general that we had suspected him for a long 
time, and that we had watched, and, at last, unmasked him. 
Our service was rewarded by promotion. 




27 



AT THE TIME OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION. 



APRIL, 1864. 



How the Capital Received the News of Richmond's Surrender. 



BOOTH'S TERRIBLE CRIME AND THE EXECUTION OF THE ASSASSINS. 
FINAL GRAND REVIEW OF THE BOYS IN BLUE. 



MAJ. H. M. BRE^A/^STER, 57th Regt. New York Vols. 




iN the morning of April 4, 18G5, while on 
duty as adjutant-general of the garrison of 
Washington, and seated at my desk in 
the headquarters on Pennsylvania avenue, just 
iabove Nineteenth street, I was startled by a 
loud shout, and the clatter of feet on the pave- 
ment told me that a horse was being rapidly 
ridden. A cavalryman was riding at full speed 
up Pennsylvania avenue, and shouting at the 
top of his voice, "Richmond is taken!" An 
orderly was at once sent to ascertain if the news was true, 
although from our window long files of men were seen coming 
out of the War Department building, and all seemed to be very 
much "enthused" about something. Every man seen seemed 
to be possessed with an irresistible desire to shake hands with 
every other man. In a few moments came an order from Sec- 
retary Stanton to send a band to the War Department immedi- 
ately. 

Musicians were very much like other men that morning, 
and went on the street to get the news. However, a number of 
members of different bands were got together, and taken to the 
War Department. In a few moments, officials began to gather 
at headquarters and ask: What shall we do to celebrate ? And 

(418) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 419 

a parade of all the troops in the city was decided upon. On 
the 9th, President Lincoln came back from the front. 

On the morning of April 14, the daily papers announced 
that President Lincoln and General Grant would attend 
the performance of "Our American Cousin," at Ford's 
theater. It being my turn on duty that evening, I was unable 
to attend the play, but about nine o'clock I walked down to the 
White House and saw the torch light procession of the 
employes of the Washington Arsenal, made in honor of the 
raising of the flag on Fort Sumter that day. The pro- 
cession passed through the grounds of the White House, and I 
went to my boarding house. Upon reaching the house, I read 
for a short time and then retired. Soon after, a horse was rap- 
idly ridden to the door and the bell pulled with a quick, sharp 
ring, and in a moment the landlady was at my door sobbing 
and crying, " President Lincoln is killed and you are wanted at 
headquarters." 

When I reached the office it was full of people laboring 
under the greatest excitement. Generals, lawyers, congress- 
men, and others were there, all wishing to do something. The 
general told me to ride as fast as possible to the Long bridge, 
and Aqueduct bridge, and give orders to allow no one to go 
over without a written pass from Secretary Stanton, signed 
by himself. As I was going, the general called me into his 
private office and said: " There will probably be an attempt to 
assassinate many public men here to-night, and, if that is so, you 
may hot be allowed quietly to carry orders, — look out for your- 
self." The evening previous there had been a large number of 
rebel prisoners brought in, and, as j;here were many deserters 
employed in the quartermaster's and commissary departments, 
some of the officers feared there might be a plan for these men 
to make serious trouble. Steps were taken to prevent it. Two 
regiments were brought out about midnight, and stationed 
around the Old Capitol Prison, where it was supposed the rebel 
prisoners were, but they had been sent north by railroad after 
dark the previous evening. The colonel of one of these two regi- 
ments was an old gentleman from Ohio, over 60 years of age. 
When I woke him up and told the sad events of the even- 
ing, he cried like a child. He went to his chest and took out a 
large Colt's revolver, and, fastening it in his belt, turned to me 
and said: " Captain, that pistol was given me when I left home 



430 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

for the war, and I have never worn it, but I am going to put it 

on now, and if any man talks treason to me, by I'll kill 

him," 

Everything that could be thought of was at once done to capt- 
ure the assassins. Booth had been seen by several who knew 
him to enter the President's box at the theater, and fire the fatal 
shot; but who were with him and what was intended, no one 
knew. On every road leading from the city were squads of cav- 
alry, and officers with photographs of Booth were on every train. 
General Grant, who had left for the North, the evening before, 
returned in the morning, and we all felt a sense of security 
when he came. For many days squads of cavalry came bring- 
ing in one or more prisoners dressed in gray or butternut, who 
could not give an account of themselves. As soon as they 
were noticed on the streets, crowds would collect, and shout: 
"Kill them!" "Hang them!" 

After the death of the President, his body was taken to the 
White House, and remained in state until the day of the funeral, 
when it was taken to the Capitol and placed in the rotunda and 
remained there until the next morning, when it was taken to the 
cars, and started on its long journey to its final resting place 
in Springfield, 111. The guard of honor who accompanied the 
body, was composed of one captain, three lieutenants (who had 
each lost an arm in the service), and twenty-five first sergeants, 
all detailed from the regiments of the Veteran Reserve Corps in 
Washington. 

After the remains of the President had left the city, the work 
of capturing the assassins was renewed with energy, and 
at length. Booth and Harold were surrounded in a barn at 
Bowling Green, Va. Harold gave himself up. Booth would 
not surrender. Lieutenant Baker, who was in command of the 
party, surrounded the barn and set it on fire. Booth then slid ; 
down from the hay, and was shot through a crack in the barn 
by Sergt. Boston Corbett, of the cavalry. The bullet entered j 
the assassin's head in almost the same place as did that fired by j 
him at the President. Booth's body was brouglit to Washing- 
ton, and the trial of the other assassins by court-martial soon 
followed. 

Soon after this came tlie grand review, when the Army of 
the Potomac and Sherman's soldiers marched through the 
streets of Washington on their last parade. For two days the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



421 



boys in blue from the East and the West marched past the 
reviewing stand, where were the President and Cabinet, Gen- 
erals Grant and Sherman, and many others who had won their 
honors with them. As they passed this stand, many an eye 
was wet with tears to miss the tall form of the loved Lin- 
coln. So the boys marched on up Pennsylvania avenue, and 
across the Potomac to Virginia, and soon by different ways to 
their homes. 




A Glimpse of Stonewall Jackson. 

COLONEL STANNABD, 9th Vt. 



HEN" Harper's Ferry sur- 
iT^ rendered to "Stonewall" 
Jackson, in September, 
1862, General Jackson halted 
his horse in front of the 0th 
Vermont, and, taking off his 
hat, solemnly said: "Boys, 
don't feel bad; you could not 
help it; it w^as just as God 
willed it." 

One of Jackson's staff asked 
me if I had anything to drink. 
I handed him my flask, and 
the young Confederate captain 
poured out a horn and arro- 
gantly said: "Colonel, here is 
to the health of the Southern 
Confederacy." 



I answered: "To ask and 
accept a courtesy of a prisoner 
and then insult him is an act 
that an honorable soldier would 
scorn." 

Jackson turned on his staff 
officer and gave him a severe 
scolding, saying the repetition 
of such an insult to a prisoner 
would cost him his place. 
Then turning to me. General 
Jackson apologized for the 
conduct of his officer, saying 
that it was an exceptional act 
of insolence on the part of a 
young and reckless man; and, 
bowing gravely, the famous 
Confederate captain rode awcy. 



Second Battle of Fort Fisher. 

tTANUART 13, 15, 186S. 

A Day Ever to be Remembered by Federals and Confederates. 



t SECOND fleet as large 
and as powerful as was 
p)- the first, concentrated 
off Federal Point, Jan. 13, 18G5. 
This was supported by land 
forces under Major-General 
Terry, with 8,000 men. At 
4.30 A. M., the landing of the 
troops commenced, and at 7.30 
A. M., the Brooklyn opened 
upon the shore covering the 
landing. The monitors headed 
on to the fort, opening fire at 
8.40 A. M. At 4 p. M., the army 
was landed and the fleet, re- 
lieved of a fatiguing labor, 
joined the ironclads in a hot 
and continuous bombardment 
until 6 p. M. The second day 
was a repetition of the first 
with serious and stern contin- 
gencies. Sabbath, January 15, 
the gates of morning opened 
a day ever to be remembered 
by Confederates and Federals 
in their contest for supremacy. 
The honor to command gun 
No. 1 of my vessel was be- 
stowed upon the writer. It 
was neither idle nor wasteful 
in its discharges. Until 2 p. 
M. the navy thundered her 
heavy guns, while the fort 



grew less active and weakened 
visibly, delivering her fire at 
longer intervals and with less 
effect. 

At this time the firing from 
the fleet ceased, and the 
army prepared for the final 
charge. There had been 2,500 
marines and sailors landed, 
and at 4 p. m. the storm com- 
menced. While the soldiers 
assailed the merlons farthest 
inland, the naval brigade at- 
tacked the eastern bastion 
looking seaward. The latter 
were repulsed with a heavy 
loss. The army, however, 
more successful, at sundown 
had taken seven merlons. The 
Confederate flag had been 
twice shot away and the Stars 
and Stripes were now hoisted 
in its place. Night dropped 
her curtain, but the brave sol- 
diers fought on until 10 p. m., 
when cheers arose from fort 
and shore and from the decks. 
Yards were manned, blue 
lights and sky rockets shone 
through the darkness, steam 
whistles shrieked, and officers 
and men cheered wildly over 
their victory. 



(422) 



TROOPER FEE'S GHOST. 



A Humorous and Strang-e Incident from the Note Book of a Veteran. 

By JOHN HEINGARTNER, Sergeant 2d New Jersey Cavalry. 





fARLY in the year 18G4, on our return from the Smith and 
Grierson raid into Mississippi, we pitched our tents near 
Memphis, Tenn. One evening between nine and ten 
o'clock, as I was standing in front of my tent, I heard a horse 
coming at a dead run toward our camp. As the horse and 
rider approached, I recognized James Fee, a lad of eighteen, 
who shouted: "Oh, sergeant! this is terrible!" " What is ter- 
rible? Are you sick, James?" "No, I'm not sick, but it's 
worse. I've been haunted by a ghost! " " That's too good, my 
boy; come, tell us about your adventure. I must see that 
ghost before I go to sleep." After Fee had wiped the large 
drops of perspiration from his forehead, he related the follow- 
ing incident: " I've been in Memphis without a pass, and to 
avoid the night picket I made a circuit around the old fair 
ground. As I approached the cross road my horse sniffed the 
air, stopped short and refused to move forward. I could not 
see what the horse was frightened at, but looking over my 
shoulder I got terrified too at what I saw. A skeleton-like 
specter on horseback followed me. My horse started to run in 
an opposite direction and never stopped until I arrived here." 

Requesting some of my comrades to accompany me, I found 
no one inclined to run the risk. If I had asked them to go for- 
aging, no one would have refused; but to fight a ghost was 
altogether different. In less time than it takes to write this I 
had my horse saddled, my saber buckled, my carbine slung, 
and I started alone for the haunted place. When I approached 
the spot described by Fee, my horse stopped so suddenly that I 
bounced nearly over the pommel of the saddle; all my endeav- 

(423) 



424 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



ors to make my horse move on were in vain. I dismounted, 
took him by the reins and walked him fifteen or twenty paces. 
At the same time the affrighted animal leaned his head on my 
shoulder as if to seek protection against some unseen danger. 
I was satisfied that the horse had seen something, but I could 
neither see nor hear anything. I mounted again and my horse 
started as if the Old Harry was after him. As I was not super- 
stitious, I turned about, resolved at any risk to unriddle the mys- 
tery. 

Having some control over my horse I compelled him to face 
the danger, that is to say, I held him to the spot. He was 
snorting, panting, sniffing the air and rearing on his hind legs 
in such a way that it was difficult for me to remain in the sad- 
dle. Nevertheless I succeeded in managing him. I perceived 
my own and my horse's shadow, which to my mind accounted 
for Fee's affright, but it must be something else which fright- 
ened the horse. I held my right hand over my eyes and scru- 
tinized the field, and at length discovered the ghost. It was 
simply a dead horse lying in the field about twenty or thirty 
yards off the road. The smell of the animal had frightened the 
horse, and this with the shadow was all there was to Fee's 
ghost. 



^g^H 



-^^r*> 



A DEATH-WOUND THAT DID NOT KILL 



fEORGE SINSEL was a private 
ill the 8th N. Y. Heavy Artillery. 
At the charge on the rebel works 
at Petersburg, on the 16th day of June, 
1864, a minie ball struck him in the 
head, breaking his skull. The ball 
divided, part going outside and part 
going under the skull. For thi-ee days 
he lay on the field and was reported 
dead. After this time he wandered 
into a hospital and was treated, the 
physicians taking out a number of 
bones from his head. He was then sent 
to St. Mary's Hospital, Rochester. 



While there he was under the care of 
Dr. Moore, and, on the 23d day of Oc- 
tober following, Dr. Bradley, the assist- 
ant surgeon, took from the imhealed 
wound a piece of rebel lead, which had 
lain there over four months. Now Mr. 
Sinsel is well apparently as ever, though 
he has a depression in his skull large 
enough to hide a walnut and over which 
there is Jio skull bone. This case was 
a wonder to the surgeons at the time 
it occurred and a greater wonder to 
the man himself that he should be 
alive. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



425 



THE eoaNTERSlGN WAS "MARY/; 



By MARGARET EYTINGE. 



||iiai|WAS near the break of day, but 

The moon was shining brightly, 
The west wind as it passed tlie flowers 

Set each one swaying lightly; 
The sentry slow paced to and fro 

A faithful night-watch keeping, 
While in the tents behind him stretched 

His comrades — all were sleeping. 

Slow to and fro the sentry paced, 

His musket on his shoulder. 
But not a thought of death or war 

Was with the brave young soldier. 
Ah, no ! his heart was far away 

Where, on a Westei'n prairie, 
A rose-twined cottage stood. That 
night 

The countersign was " Mary." 

And there his own true love he saw, 

Her blue eyes kindly beaming, 
Above them, on her sun-kissed brow, 

Her curls like sunshine gleaming, 
And heard her singing, as she churned 

The butter in the dairy. 
The song he loved the best. That 
night 

The countersign was " Mary." 

" Oh, for one kiss from her ! " he sighed, 
When, up the lone road glancing. 

He spied a form — a little form — 
With faltering steps advancing. 



And as it neared him silently 

He gazed at it in wonder ; 
Then dropped his musket to his hand, 

And challenged: "Who goes yon- 
der?" 

Still on it came. " Not one step more, 

Be you man, child, or fairy. 
Unless you give the countersign. 

Halt! Who goes there?" "'Tis 
Mary," 
A sweet voice cried, and in his arms 

The girl he left behind him 
Half fainting fell. O'er many miles 

She'd bravely toiled to find him. 

" I heard that you were wounded, dear," 

She sobbed ; " my heart was breaking ; * 
I could not stay a moment, but. 

All other ties forsaking, 
I traveled, by my grief made strong. 

Kind Heaven watching o'er me. 
Until — Unhurt and well?" "Yes, 
love," 

" — At last you stood before me." 

They told me that I could not pass 

The lines to seek my lover 
Before day fairly came ; but I 

Pressed on ere night was over. 
And as I told my name, I found 

The way free as our prairie." 
" Because, thank God ! to-night," he 
said, 

" The countersign is ' Mary.' " 



" WILD'S AFRICAN BRIGADE." SENATOR CONNESS AND GRANT. 



THE 1st Mass. Kegt. furnished the 
^ first general to command colored 
troops — Capt. Edward A. W^ild, who 
commanded the brigade known as 
" Wild's African Brigade." 



gEXATOR CONNESS, of California, 
appears to have been the first man 
to publicly recommend that General 
Grant be placed in command of the 
Army of the Potomac. 



SIEGE 0F PETERSBaRG. 

FEBRUARY 26, 1865. 

CORPORAL DAVB'S LAST SHOT. 




Mo BOUT six o'clock a. m., our orderly sergeant informed 
me that I was detailed for picket duty. I put on my 
equipments, grasped my rifle, and joined the detach- 
ment on the parade ground. We passed through 
the works to the left of Fort Howard, and, after passing 
some open ground, reached a strip of heavy pine tim- 
ber, which screened our camp from the view of the rebels. 
Here we halted to load, after which we moved on. When we 
emerged from the woods into the clear space beyond, we came 
in full view of both the Union and Confederate picket lines. 
The picket posts were built of pine logs, breast high, with dirt 
banked up in front. There were eight men in the post, with a 
corporal in charge. With the exception of one man — a tent- 
mate — I was unacquainted with the men on our post; our regi- 
ment having been largely recruited during the winter. Every- 
thing being quiet we made ourselves as comfortable as circum- 
stances would permit. A fire was kindled for making coffee, 
and, lighting their pipes, the boys began conversation. The 
corporal, who was a stout, resolute looking man, took the 
opportunity to change his clothing, and I noticed an ugly scar 
on his breast. Out of curiosity I asked where he got that mark. 
He answered, "At Gettysburg, my lad." 

I soon noticed that the other six men in the post were 
acquainted with him, and addressed him as Corporal Dave. 
After lighting his pipe. Corporal Dave told how he got wounded. 
"You see," said he, " Tm a Texan, and belonged to Hood's 
famous Texas brigade, which got cut up so at Gettysburg, July 
2, 1863. We were on the right of the line and were trying to 
turn the left flank of the Yankees, in order to get possession of 

(126) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 437 

a ridge called Round Top. Longstreet was driving the Yankees 
in the peach orchard and we were hurrying to take possession 
of those hills. Colonel Vincent's brigade of Yankees got there 
a few minutes ahead of us. I tell you, boys, it was the hottest 
place I was ever in, and I have been in a good many hot places, 
too. The bullets flew like hail, and pretty soon one hit me 
where you see the scar. We lost little Round Top and I was 
taken prisoner. I tell you, if we had taken those hills, we would 
have whipped Meade, and captured Washington, Baltimore, and 
Philadelphia; the North would have made peace, the South 
would have gained its independence, and the fighting would 
have been over." I ventured to dissent from the corporal's 
opinion, and the consequence was that we had an angry discus- 
sion. I asked how it was that he was serving in the Union 
army, and he replied that after his wound healed he had 
escaped from prison and enlisted in the Union army for a big 
bounty. I began to think that Corporal Dave was a rebel still. 
After that I found that three others of the men had served in 
the Southern army. One of them, a tall Georgian, said the 
best shooting he ever had was when Colonel Shaw and his nig- 
gers charged on Fort Wagner. My tent-mate, an honest Irish- 
man, whispered that we were among a lot of secesh, and had 
better look out. I noticed through the day that the corporal 
and his chums had a good deal of private consultation; but in 
the evening, when my turn came to stand vidette, I had almost 
forgotten my suspicions. It grew dark, and the wind being 
light from the northwest, I could hear the Confederate pickets 
talking, laughing, and singing an old-fashioned camp-meeting 
tune. Pretty soon I heard the relief coming, and Corporal 
Dave came out with a squad to relieve the pickets. He told me 
to go back into the picket post. I noticed that all the ex-rebels 
were with him, but had no suspicion that anything was wrong. 
When I reached the picket post there was no one there but my 
Irish tent-mate. As it was getting chilly, I unstrapped my 
overcoat from my knapsack, took off my cartridge box, and 
leaning my musket against the logs, began to put my coat on. 
I was standing up, plainly visible to the enemy, by the light of 
the picket fire. I had got one arm in my overcoat sleeve and 
was feeling for the other, when a musket was discharged, and a 
ball struck the logs by my side, and before I had time to change 
my position six more shots were fired in quick succession. 



428 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Two more balls struck the logs and the others whizzed by me. 
I got my coat on as quickly as possible, grasped my musket, and 
fired as near as I could guess in the direction of the enemy, 
and then dropped under cover. The whole line fired a few 
rounds, and an officer came to inquire the cause of the disturb- 
ance. I told him the circumstances, and he ordered my tent- 
mate and myself to go with him to the vidette post. On our 
arrival we found that the corporal and the six men were no 
longer there. A few minutes later we heard the rebel pickets 
challenge some one, and then came a volley of musketry. 
When the firing ceased we heard groans of agony, and we rec- 
ognized the voice of Corporal Dave. We remained on vidette 
duty until next morning, there being no one left in the post 
to relieve us, and then returned to camp. A few nights after- 
wards, we learned from a rebel deserter that on that Sunday 
night in question seven Yankee deserters came into their lines 
and had been fired on by mistake, one of them dying from his 
wounds. So Corporal Dave fired his last shot at me. 

startling News from New Orleans. First Colored Officer to Fall. 



rrHE first intimation that General J[^1EUT. A. S. SANBORN", of the 1st 
I Grant was to take command of the District of Columbia Colored Regt., 

Army of the Potomac came from the murdered by IJr. Wright, at Norfolk, 

New Orleans correspondent of the New Va., was probably the first officer of a 

York Daili/ News, in a letter to that colored regiment who died in defense 

paper, dated August 1, 1863. of the Union. 



HONOR TO THE 65tli N. Y. 



THE only flag taken at the battle of 
Fair Oaks by our troops was the 
flag of the 22d N. C, captured by the 
65th N. Y. 



s » <>• 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



429 



JMORRis Island NIkniories. 

By H. T. PECK, Company A, 1 0th Conn. Vols. 



BMIND me now of days long past, 
When, on old Morris Island's 
^A shore, 

We faced War's awful tempest blast, 
And saw the flood of battle pom-. 

Before us Sumter's battered walls 
Stood grimly 'bove the ocean tide, 

Defiant of the iron balls 

That rained against her seaward side. 

Fort Wagner's earthwork nearer rose, 
In line of Charleston's roofs and 
spires, 

Whose sandy slopes, at daylight's close, 
Were lit by powder-flashing fires. 

And further on, in grim array, 

Fort Johnson's guns foreboding ill, 

A whirring shell oft sent our way — 
The Morris-Island " whip-poor-will." 

From sedgy marsh to harbor bound 
Our line of siege extended wide, 

Whose " Parrotts " oft, with thunderous 
sound, 
Sent death unto the rebel side. 

Tlu'ee hundred pounds of "boot-leg" 
shell 
Sent forth to harvest human crops, 
And in return, to pay us well. 

The " Johnnies " launched their 
" blacksmith shops." 



And what is that, which in a night 
In yonder reedy marsh upsprung ? 

'Tis the "Swamp Angel" in its might. 
Prepared to talk with flaming tongue ; 

And e'en to Charleston's farthest 
bound 
Attentive audience to seek. 
The theme of Justice to expound 
In language plain to all, though 
" Greek." 

Shattered and torn by shot and shell. 
The " Beacon House " behind us 
stood, 

As if, all eloquent, to tell 

The tale of War's destructive flood, — 

To speak of those who bravely faced 
The deadly storm of shell and ball. 

And on that lonely island waste 

Gave to their country's cause their 
all. 

Such are the memories that will fill 
The active mind in waking hours. 

With magic power the soul to thrill. 
As currents pulse electric wires. 

And e'en while on my couch I lie. 
And all around is calm and still, 

How oft I view, with spirit eye. 

Those scenes, and list that "whip- 
poor-will." 



HELD AT BAY. 



'THE Knoxville Whirj of January 30, 
J 1863, said: ^' For the first time 
since the war began each Southern 
army is held at bay by a superior aboli- 
tion force." 



First Three Years' Reffiment. 



"TIP' HE first regiment raised for three 
years or the war was the 70th, the 
first regiment of the Excelsior brigade, 
raised by Col. (now Gen.) Daniel E. 
Sickles. 



JEFF DAVIS'S CAPTURE. 



THE EX-PRESIDENT'S VERSION OF THE AFFAIR. 



DENIAL OF THE FEMALE DISGUISE STORY. 



^N the evening of the 9th ,.«.. 
of May, preparations K'\ljt 
'^^' were made for departure ^jfB^^ 
(from Irwin ville, Ga.) immedi- ] ( \ 
ately after nightfall, when 'f^^ 
Col. W. P. Johnston returned ^^-^jK 
from a neighhoring village 
with the report that a band of 
one hundred and fifty men 
were to attack the camp that 
night. 

Meantime my horse, already 
saddled, with his holsters and 
blankets in place, was in 
charge of my body servant and 
I was lying clothed, booted and 
even spurred, when, a little 
after daybreak, the alarm was 
given that the camp was at- 
tacked. Springing to my feet 
and stepping out of the tent I 
saw at once, from the manner 
in which the assailants were 
deploying around the camp, 
that they were trained soldiers 
and not irregular banditti, and 
returning I so informed Mrs. 
Davis. 

As I have said, I was already 
fully dressed. I hastily took 




leave of my wife, who threw 
over my shoulders a waterproof 
cloak or wrapper as a protec- 
tion from the dampness of the 
early morning, and with the 
hope that it might serve as a 
partial disguise. She also di- 
rected a female servant who 
was present to take an empty 
bucket and follow me in the 
direction of the spring, my 
horse, on the other side of the 
camp, being cut off from ac- 
cess by the interposition of the 

assailants. 
(430) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



431 



I had advanced only a few 
steps from the door of the tent 
when I was challenged by a 
mounted soldier, who pre- 
sented his carbine and ordered 
me to "surrender." I an- 
swered: " I never surrender to 
a band of thieves." The car- 
bine was still presented, but 
the man refrained from firing 
— it is but fair to presume from 
an unwillingness to kill his ad- 
versary — while I continued to 
advance. This was not from 
desperation or foolhardy reck- 
lessness, but of deliberate pur- 
pose. Observing that the man, 
who was finely mounted, was 
so near as to be considerably 
above me, I had little appre- 
hension of being hit, and be- 
lieved that by taking advan- 



tage of the excitement of the 
shot I might easily tip him 
from the saddle and get pos- 
session of his horse. The feas- 
ibility of this design was not to 
be tested, however, for at this 
moment Mrs. Davis, seeing 
only my danger, and animated 
by a characteristic and heroic 
determination to share it, ran 
forward and threw her arms 
around my neck, with impas- 
sioned exclamation. The only 
hope of escape had depended 
upon bringing the matter to an 
immediate issue, and, seeing 
this was now lost, I said, 
"God's will be done," and 
quietly turned back and seated 
myself upon a fallen tree, near 
which a camp fire was burn- 
ing. 



First Fraternity Between Foes. 



BRITISH INTERFERENCE. 



T^HE first gleam of fraternal light 
■which beamed upon the dark feel- 
ings ruling the great contest was 
brought forth by a letter from tlie 
officers of the 12th Ark. Regt to the 
officers of the 165th N. Y., at the time of 
the battle of Port Hudson in 1863. 



(^ECRETARY SEWARD'S letter of 
October 6, 1861, was the first official 
document laid before tlie people of 
England in which the British govern- 
ment was notified that it would be held 
responsible for damages done by the 
privateer Alabama. 



First Vessel Captured by Confeder- 
ates. 



'Cjp'IIE first vessel captured by the 
Confederate cruisers was the Harvey 
Burch. She belonged to Mr. John 
Brown, of New York. 



STONEWALL'S SCABBARD. 




An Interesting Incident of tlie Period when General Jacl^son was Unltnown to Fame. 

By JOHN TAYLOR. 



N" the 19th of April, 18G1, a portion of the battalion of 
the Virginia Military Institute stood in line to receive 
marching orders. This detachment, consisting of 165 
picked cadets, was to drill the volunteers as they re- 
ported for duty at Camp Lee, a spot now known as the Rich- 
mond Agricultural Fair Grounds. In fact Camp Lee was used 
for that purpose prior to the war. Well does the writer (one of 
the cadets) recall the varied emotions which filled the souls of 
those gallant soldier boys, many of whom, amid the din of war, 
found soldier's graves where shot and shell fell thick and fast. 
Boys in years, yet for bravery and daring many of them gained 
fame, rank, and reputation that gray haired soldiers well might 
wish. The cadets as a whole begged their commandant and 
the governor to allow them to enter the war and to enroll the 
entire battalion as a part of the regular army of the Confeder- 
acy. This was refused by the authorities, as this body was the 
only organization drilled in the science of war and military 
studies in Virginia, and, as drill-masters and officers, they 
proved more valuable to the South than they could have done 
in the ranks. With faces tinged with genuine sadness, that 
portion ordered to remain at the barracks, stood at "rest," 
while the joyful faces of those who were to go, showed the 
feelings of the boys as to war. The professors one by one were 
called for by the " detail," ordered off, and each addressed the 
command with words calculated to stimulate military ardor 
and counsels as to a soldier's duty. 

From the town of Lexington, with long and rapid strides, the 
well known form of ''old Jack," as the boys dubbed Major 
Jackson, then one of the faculty of the Institute, was approach- 

(432) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 433 

ing. "Three cheers for Major Jackson," shouted some one. 
"Three cheers and a tiger for 'old Jack!'" yelled out many 
other youthful voices, and a "Hip! hip! hurrah!" was heartily 
given by nearly three hundred boys. Our eccentric major, 
being called on for a speech, quietly stepped to the front of the 
command, raising his faded blue cap with his right hand, and 
clasping closely under his left arm his trusty sword, which had 
flashed on many a field in the Mexican war, he cast his piercing 
eye up and down the line, then replaced his cap on his head, 
and, suiting actions to his words, said in a clear, sharp voice: 
"Cadets, when you draw your swords throw away your scab- 
bards." Leaving the scabbard on the ground where he had cast it, 
he wheeled, and, with his usual rapid stride, returned to Lexing- 
ton, where he was actively engaged with the Rev. Dr. Pendle- 
ton in organizing an artillery company. An order from 
Governor Letcher, received later, caused " Stonewall Jackson " 
to change his proposed plan, and he assumed charge of the 
cadet detachment, conducting the detachment safely to Rich- 
mond, from which place he was ordered to Harper's Ferry, 
where his military genius began first to attract the attention of 
the Confederate army. 

^^^ ^^^P «^^^ 

Brilliant Cavalry Charge at Gettysburg. 

I^AVALRY officers claim that they within sight of the other, and each in 
saved tlie day, at the most critical its proper sphere. Custer said : " I 
moment, at the battle of Gettysburg, challenge the annals of warfare to pro- 
Gettysburg was the only battle of the duce a more brilliant and successful 
war in which the three arms of the charge of cavalry than was made on 
service fought at the same time, the third day of the battle of Gettys- 
each within supporting distance and burg." 



Gladstone and Our Rebellion. 



^yjR. GLADSTONE said : " I do not 
believe history records a case in 
which the internal dissensions of a 
country have produced such widespread 
calamity in other nations beyond its 
borders as the American rebellion," 
28 



The Sixth Corps. 



TF!E APPOIVrATTOX CAMPAIGN 



MARCH 25 TO APRIL 9, 1865. 



♦ LEE'S » SaRRENDER.* 



Capt. J. W. DIXON, Lieut. 2d. Conn. Heavy A^rtillery. 




HE Appomattox campaign opened with the bat- 
tle of Fort Stedman, March 25, 18G5. The 
attack was a complete surprise and the Confed- 
erates captured the fort. The victory, how- 
ever, was a short-lived one. The 1st and 3d 
Divisions of the 9th Corps, commanded by 
Maj.-Gen. John G. Parke, recaptured the work 
after a sharp fight of several hours, during which the fort 
was raked by an enfilading fire from numerous forts and re- 
doubts of our line. The 9th Corps lost in this action 911 men, 
of whom 68 were killed, 337 wounded, and 500 missing. The 
Confederate loss was 2081. 

General Grant ordered General Meade to assault the works 
in front of Petersburg the 29th of March, but a heavy rain 
set in, which made it necessary to postpone it. Meanwhile Maj.- 
Gen. E. O. C. Ord's 24th Corps, Army of the James, relieved the 
2d and 5th Corps in front of Petersburg, and these two corps 
joined Major-General Sheridan in an expedition far to the left, 
to turn the right flank of Lee's army. General Sheridan had 
been ordered from the Shenandoah valley in February. He was 
to conduct his superb cavalry corps across the country, destroy- 
ing General Lee's communications with the West, was to pass 
through Lynchburg and Danville, and join General Sherman 
in his march to the sea. The heavy rains rendered the James 
river impassable, so this plan was impracticable, and General 

(434) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 435 

Sheridan headed for Petersburg. He joined the Army of the 
Potomac on the 2Gth of March. 

Early on the morning of the 29th, the 2d and 5th Corps, with 
the cavahy under General Sheridan, marched to the southwest, 
crossed Hatcher's run, and headed toward Dinwiddle Court 
House. The Union line reached from the Appomattox to Din- 
widdle Court House. The army was posted from right to left 
as follows: 9th, <Jth, 24th, 2d, and 5th Corps, and on the left 
Sheridan's cavalry. March 31 the Confederates made an at- 
tack upon Maj.-Gen. G. K. Warren's 5th Corps, but failed to 
break the line. 

On April 1 Sheridan's cavalry, with the 5th Corps, fought 
and won the battle of Five Forks. The list of killed was re- 
markably small considering the number of troops engaged. 
The Federal loss was 124 killed, 706 wounded, and 54 missing; 
total 884. The Confederate loss, including prisoners, was 8,500. 

On the morning of the 2d the grand assault was to be made. 
No ordinary earthworks these; they had been for many 
months an impassable barrier to the Union forces. Erected 
scientifically under the supervision of competent engineers, 
they had been strengthened as opportunity offered, until they 
were regarded by friend and foe as almost invulnerable. 

The signal for the attack was to be a gun fired at dawn of 
day; the exact hour and minute having been determined upon. 
There was a delay of a few minutes in the firing of the signal 
gun. During this interval the pickets of the 6th Corps com- 
menced firing, which brought an answer from the Confederates 
in front. The corps was formed in columns of brigades, en 
echelon, to penetrate the Confederate lines in the form of an 
enormous wedge. 

In front of the works about to be charged impenetrable lines 
of abatis extended. Men were pushed forward to cut through 
these obstacles and a force under Major Adams, of the artillery, 
was ready to spike and disable, or, if possible, to serve the capt- 
ured guns of the enemy. The strength of the Confederate 
works rendered the occupants positive that they could not be 
carried by assault. Just as the first streak of dawn appeared 
the gallant wearers of the Greek cross sprang to the charge. 
The entering point was driven through the enemy's pickets; 
through the bristling abatis; over breastworks and trenches 
upon the main works. After a fierce and bloody conflict the 



436 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

works were captured, with many prisoners, battle-flags, and 
guns. The Southside railroad was reached, the rails torn up, 
and the telegraph destroyed. The troops of the 9th Corps and 
of the 24th passed through, leaving one brigade of the 6th Corps 
to guard the position. General Wright swung the corps around 
to the left, driving the enemy to Hatcher's run. 

On the morning of the 3d the corps commenced the pursuit 
of the retreating enemy. Short, sharp, and decisive was the 
campaign that followed. On the 4th the corps crossed Win- 
ticomack creek, and pushed twelve miles before going into 
camp. At 3 a. m,, the 5th, the pursuit was renewed and contin- 
ued until dark. The corps was now in position on the right of 
the 5th Corps, near Jettersville. General Lee had massed his 
army at Amelia Court House. Here the Gth Corps expected to 
confront the Confederates and was moving at an early hour. 
General Lee, with great tact and secrecy, had withdrawn his 
army during the night of the 5th, and the Gth Corps was ordered 
to the left of the army, near Burkesville. Passing through 
Deatonville the railroad was reached before daylight. Turn- 
ing to the right the Gth Corps was marched toward the retreat- 
ing trains, where the cavalry was hotly engaging the enemy. 
Brigadier-General Keifer, of the 3d Division, was in advance. 
The road was soon in possession of the Union troops and a 
large number of prisoners and wagons were captured. The 1st 
Division, Gen. Frank Wheaton, now appeared, and taking 
ground on the left, advanced rapidly down the road driving 
the enemy. The two divisions pressed the rear guard of the 
Confederate army until Sailor's creek was reached. Across 
this stream the Confederates had thrown up breastworks and 
here awaited the attack of the exultant Union troops. 

Under cover of a heavy artillery fire the two divisions crossed 
the swampy ground and the creek itself, and with cheers 
charged the heights where the enemy was posted. Here a 
hand-to-hand conflict was carried on and most desperate 
charges and counter charges were made. Bayonet charges were 
made, men clubbed their muskets and fought as if individual 
deeds of valor could carry the day. A column of the enemy 
charged so impetuously and desperately that they temporarily 
succeeded, but the Gth Corps, on the right and left, continued 
to advance, and the gallant charging column of the Confed- 
erates was enveloped, surrounded. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 437 

Major-General Wright said of this charge: "Never was I 
more astonished. These troops were surrounded; the 1st and 
od Divisions of the Gth Corps were on either flank, my artillery 
and a fresh division in their front, and some three divisions of 
Major-General Sheridan's cavalry in their rear. Looking upon 
them as already our prisoners, I had ordered the artillery to 
cease firing as a dictate of humanity." 

General Wright had captured Generals Ewell and Custis Lee, 
with many officers of less exalted rank, together with thou- 
sands of prisoners, and many battle-flags. The 6th Corps lost 
here 166 killed, 1,014 wounded; total 1,180. The Confederate loss 
was 7,000. 

lee's SURRENDER. 

The flying enemy was now closely pressed by the victorious 
Union army. Disabled guns, limbers, caissons, battery wagons, 
forges, army wagons, dead horses, and mules strewed the way 
for miles. On the morning of the 5th the corps bore far to the 
right and encamped some eighteen miles from its starting 
point of that morning. Early the 6th, it was en route to Appo- 
mattox Court House, where it halted to await the result of the 
conference between Generals Grant and Lee. What that result 
was has been graven upon the historical tablets of America. 



First Corps at Gettysburg:. 




The 1st Corps did the hardest fight- 
ing at Gettysburg and lost more than 
any other corps. 




J^^2-^L 



^^ 



GRANT'S FORESIGHT. Confederate Honors of War. 



5^0 General Grant is due the credit of 'THE first time the body of a rebel 

"^ giving up the " anaconda " scheme ; / soldier was returned to his kindred 

of relinquishing the idea of " surround- and friends, with the honors of war, 

ing " a great continent, and of devoting was on the 9th of January, 1863. It 

the strength of the government to the was the body of Colonel Lawton, who 

task of destroying the armies which was wounded and captured at the battle 

kept tlie Confederacy in existence. of Fi'edericksburg. 



438 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



TtiK SIvKKPINO GRAY. 

In 3Ieinory of the Confederate Soldiers who Fell in the Struggle. 

By PAUL- H. HAYNE. 



(">^HE sounds of the tumult have 
^\^ ceased to ring, 

c)^ And the battle's sun has set, 
And here in the peace of the newborn 
spring 

We would fain forgive and forget ; 

Forget the rage of the hostile years. 
And the scars of a wrong unshriven, 

Forgive the torture that thrilled to tears 
The angels' calm in heaven. 

Forgive and forget ? yes, be it so, 
From the hills to the broad sea waves ; 

But mournful and low are the winds 
that blow 
By the slopes of a thousand graves. 

We may scourge from the spirit all 
thought of ill 

In the midnight of grief held fast. 
And yet, O brothers ! be loyal still 

To the sacred and stainless past. 

She is glancing now from the vapor and 
cloud 
From the weaning mansion of Mars, 
And the pride of her beauty is wanly 
bowed. 
And her eyes are misled stars. 

And she speaks in a voice that is sad as 
death, 
" There is duty still to be done, 
Tho' the trumpet of onset has spent its 
breath, 
And the battle been lost and won." 

And she points with a tremulous hand 
below 
To the wasted and worn array 



Of the heroes who strove in the morn- 
ing glow 
Of the grandeur that crowned " the 
Gray." 

Oh God ! they come not as once they 
came 
In the magical years of yore; 
For the trenchant sword and the soul of 
flauie. 
Shall quiver and clash no more. 

Alas for the broken and battered hosts, 
Frail wrecks from a gory sea. 

Though pale as a band in the realm of 
ghosts. 
Salute them ! They fought with Lee, 

And gloried when dauntless Stonewall 
marched 
Like a giant o'er field and blood. 
When the bow of his splendid victories 
arched 
The tempest whose rain is — blood ! 



Not vanquished, but crushed by a mys- 
tic fate. 
Blind nations against them hurled 
By the selfish might and the causeless 
hate 
Of the banded and ruthless world ! 

Enough ; all Fates are servants of God, 
And follow his guiding hand ; 

We shall rise some day from the Chas- 
tener's rod, 
Shall waken, and — understand ! 



•1^ Lee's v Surrender.^ 

1865. 
PERSONAL ACCOUNT BY GENERAL GRANT. 





|HE night before General 
Lee surrendered, I had 
wsm a wretched headache — 
headaches to which I have 
been subject — nervous prostra- 
tion, intense personal suffering. 
But, suffer or not, I had to 
keep moving. I saw clearly, 
especially after Sheridan had 
cut off the escape to Danville, 
that Lee must surrender or 
break and run into the mount- 
ains — break in all directions 
and leave us a dozen guerrilla 
bands to fight. My campaign 
was not Richmond, not the de- 
feat of Lee in actual fight, but 
to remove him and his army 
out of the contest and, if pos- 
sible, to have him use his in- 
fluence in inducing the sur- 
render of Johnston and the 
other isolated armies. You 
see the war was an enormous 
strain upon the country. Rich 
as we were I do not now see 
how we could have endured it 
another year, even from a 
financial point of view. So 

(4 



with these views I wrote Lee, 
and opened the correspondence 
with which the world is famil- 
iar. Lee does not appear well in 
that correspondence-not nearly 
so well as he did in our subse- 
quent interviews, where his 
whole bearing was that of a 
patriotic and gallant soldier, 
concerned alone for the wel- 
fare of his army and his State. 
I received word that Lee would 
meet me at a point within our 
lines near Sheridan's head- 
quarters. I had to ride quite 
a distance through a muddy 
country. I remember now 
that I was concerned about 
my personal appearance. I 
had an old suit on, without my 
sword, and without any dis- 
tinguishing mark of rank ex- 
cept the shoulder-straps of a 
lieutenant general on a woolen 
blouse. I was splashed with 
mud in my long ride. I was 
afraid Lee might think I meant 
to show him studied discour- 
tesy by so coming — at least I 
39) 



440 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



thought SO. But I had no 
clothes within reach, as Lee's 
letter found me away from my 
base of supplies. I kept on 
riding until I met Sheridan. 
The general, who was one of 
the heroes of the campaign, 
and whose pursuit of Lee was 
perfect in its generalship and 
energy, told me where to find 
Lee. I remember that Sheri- 
dan was impatient when I met 
him — anxious and suspicious 
about the whole business, 
feared there might be a plan 
to escape, that he had Lee at 
his feet, and wanted to end the 
business by going in and forc- 
ing an absolute surrender by 
capture. In fact, he had his 
troops ready for such an as- 
sault when Lee's white flag 
came within his lines. I went 
up to the house where Lee was 
waiting. I found him in a fine, 
new, splendid uniform, which 
only recalled my anxiety as to 
my own clothes while on my 
way to meet him. I expressed 
my regret that I was compelled 
to meet him in so unceremoni- 
ous a manner, and he replied, 
that the only suit he had avail- 
able was one which had been 
sent him by some admirers in 
Baltimore and which he then 
wore for the first time. We 
spoke of old friends in the 
army. I remembered having 
seen Lee in Mexico. He was 
so much higher in rank than 



myself at the time that I sup- 
posed he had no recollection of 
me. But he said he remem- 
bered me very well. We talked 
of old times and exchanged in- 
quiries about friends. Lee then 
broached the subject of our 
meeting. I told him my terms, 
and Lee, listening attentively, 
asked me to write them down. 
I took out my manifold order 
book and pencil and wrote 
them down. General Lee put 
on his glasses and read them 
over. The conditions gave the 
officers their side arms, private 
horses and personal baggage. 
I said to Lee that I hoped and 
believed this would be the close 
of the war. That it was most 
important that the men should 
go home and go to work, and the 
government would not throw 
any obstacles in the way. Lee 
answered that it would have a 
most happy effect and accepted 
the terms. I handed over my 
penciled memorandum to an 
aide to put into ink and we re- 
sumed our conversation about 
old times and friends in the 
armies. Lee no doubt ex- 
pected me to ask for his sword, 
but I did not want to take his 
sword. It would only have 
been sent to the patent office to 
be worshiped by the Washing- 
ton rebels. Then there was an- 
other pause, after which he 
said that most of the animals 
in his cavalry and artillery 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



441 



were owned by the privates, 
and he would like to know, 
under the terms, whether they 
would be regarded as private 
property or the property of the 
government. I said under the 
terms of surrender they be- 
longed to the government. 
General Lee read over the let- 
ter and said that was so. I 
then said to the general that I 
believed and hoped this was 



the last battle of the war, and 
I saw the wisdom of these 
men getting home and to work 
as soon as possible, and that I 
would give orders to allow any 
soldier or officer claiming a 
horse or a mule to take it. 
General Lee showed some emo- 
tion at this — a feeling which I 
also shared. The interview 
ended, and I gave orders for 
rationing his troops. 




M. D. 




SOLDIER once — it was not long 

ago — 
Becoming driei- than a Cajpe Cod 
fisli, 
Made up his mind to have a drink, 
But knew not how to gain liis wisli ; 

For, just before, a mandate liad been 

given, 
No soldier should be furnished rum — 
Unless the sutler had a paper signed 
By an M. D. to give him some. 

Our friend, who was himself a waggish 

knave, 
Thus set about to gain his ends : 
Some papers in his pack he quickly 

finds, 
And soon a goose-quill to a pen he 

mends. 

And then he writes, with many a 

though tf id grin, 
" Deliver bearer two pints of good 

whisky, 



And send him back. Yours, sir, I am, 
John Jabez Johnston, M. D." 

The day went by ; the sutler meeting 
him — 

"Why, John, how long since ijou be- 
came M. D.V 

•'An M. D., sir ! " replies this Satan's 
limb, 

" Upon my word, you startle me ! " 

" Why, yes, see here ; now, didn't you. 
Sending for whisky, sign yourself a 

doctor ? " 
"A doctor? no! what do you mean? 
Come, speak out, man ! A doctor ? 

pshaw ! " 

" You signed INI. D. ! " Our friend is 

sad. 
And looks toward heaven, then heaves 

a sigh — 
" I truly did ; yet I'm no quack." 
"The M. D., then?" " Meant— mighty 

dry!" 



THE HISTORY OF THE ALABAMA. 

BY ROSSITER JOHNSON. 




miLE the Army of the Potomac was putting itself in 
fighting trim after its change of base, a decisive bat- 
tle of the war took place 4,000 miles away. A vessel 
^^^ known in the builders' yard as the " 290," and after- 
ward famous as the Alabama, had been built for the Confeder- 
ate government in 1862, at Birkenhead, opposite Liverpool. 
She was of wood, a fast sailer, having both steam and canvas, 
220 feet long, and rated at 1,040 tons. She was thoroughly fitted 
in every respect, and cost £47,500, or somewhat less than a 
quarter of a million dollars. The American Minister at London 
notified the British government that such a ship was being 
built in an English yard, in violation of the neutrality laws, 
and demanded that she be prevented from leaving the Mersey. 
Either through design or stupidity the government moved too 
slowly, and the cruiser escaped to sea. She went to Fayal, in 
the Azores, and there took on board her guns and coal, sent out 
to her in a merchant ship from London. Her commander was 
Raphael Semmes, who had served in the United States navy. 
Her crew were mainly Englishmen. For nearly two years she 
roamed the seas, traversing the Atlantic and Indian Oceans 
and the Gulf of Mexico, and captured sixty-five American mer- 
chantmen, most of which were burned. Their crews were sent 
away on passing vessels, or put ashore at convenient ports. 
Several war vessels were sent out in search of the Alabama; 
but they were at constant disadvantage from the rule that when 
two hostile vessels are in a neutral port, the first that leaves 
must have been gone twenty-four hours before the other is per- 
mitted to follow. In French, and especially in British, ports, 
the Alabama was always welcome, and enjoyed every possible 
facility, because she was destroying American commerce. 

In June, 1804, she was in the harbor of Cherbourg, France. 
The United States man-of-war Kearsarge, commanded by John 
A. Winslow, found her there, and lay off the port, watching 

(442) 



• BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 443 

for her. By not going into the harbor, Winslow escaped the 
twenty-four-liour rule. Semmes sent a note to Winslow, 
asking him not to go away, as he was coming out to fight; but 
no such challenge was called for, as the Kearsarge had come 
for that purpose, and was patiently waiting her prey. She was 
almost exactly the size of the Alabama, and the armaments 
were so nearly alike as to make a very fair match. But her 
crew were altogether superior in gun-practice, and she had 
protected her boilers by chains, "stoppered" up and down the 
side amidships, as had been done in the fights at New Or- 
leans and elsewhere. Sunday morning, June 19, the Alabama 
steamed out of the harbor amid the plaudits of thousands of 
English and Frenchmen, who had not a doubt that she was 
going to certain victory. The Kearsarge steamed away, and 
drew her off a distance of seven or eight miles from the coast. 
Winslow then turned and closed with his enemy. The two 
vessels steamed around on opposite sides of a circle half a mile 
in diameter, firing their starboard guns. One of the crew of 
the Alabama says, " there was but little swell on, and nothing 
to prevent accurate gun-practice." Yet the practice on that 
vessel was very bad; she began firing first, discharged her guns 
rapidly, and produced little or no effect, though a dozen of her 
shots struck her antagonist. But when the Kearsarge began 
firing there was war in earnest. Her guns were handled with 
great skill, and every shot told. One of them cut the mizzen- 
mast so that it fell. Another exploded a shell among the crew 
of the Alabama's pivot gun, killing half of them and dismount- 
ing the piece. Others rolled in at the port-holes and swept 
away the gunners; and several pierced the hull below the 
water line, making the ship tremble from stem to stern, and 
letting in floods of water. The vessels had described seven 
circles, and the Alabama's decks were strewn with the dead, 
when at the end of an hour she was found to be sinking, and 
her colors were struck. The Kearsarge lowered boats to take 
off the crew; but suddenly the stern settled, the bow was 
thrown up into the air, and down went the Alabama to the bot- 
tom of the British Channel, carrying an unknown number of 
her crew. An English yacht picked up Semmes and about 
forty of his men, and steamed away to Southampton with them; 
others were rescued by the boats of the Kearsarge, and still 
others were drowned. 



444 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



Eight years afterward, an international court of arbitration 
decreed that the British government must pay the United 
States $15,500,000 for damages done to American commerce by 
the Alabama and two or three similar cruisers, because they 
were built in English yards and escaped to sea through the 
negligence of that government. The sentence was very light; 
for that sum falls far short of the damage wrought to us and the 
corresponding gain to the English carrying trade. 



II 



i/^^^is r-Tr- e. 



HEROISM AND CHIVALRY AT FREDERICKSBURG. 



TOO BRAVE TO BE SHOT. 



f|HE following incident oc- 
curred at the battle of 
Fredericksburg. On the 15th 
day of December, 1862, the 
16th Regt. and three com- 
panies of the second bat- 
talion of Featherstone's Mis- 
sissippi brigade were posted at 
the foot of Marye's Heights, to 
the left of the plank road lead- 
ing from the city toward 
Orange Court House. Between 
them and the city was a tan- 
yard and many outbuildings. 
Much sharpshooting was in- 
dulged in on both sides, oppor- 
tunities being afforded us by 
squads of Federals, who in 
twos or threes kept moving 
rapidly from behind extempo- 
rized shelters to their rear, 
posted in the city limits proper. 
While a squad of these were 
braving shots, one of them 



was seen to drop, while all his 
companions but one, taking 
advantage of our empty rifles, 
soon got to cover behind the 
houses. This brave fellow see- 
ing his comrade fall, deliber- 
ately faced about, and, drop- 
ping his rifle, assisted his 
friend to rise, and together 
they slowly sought the rear. 
As they moved off a score or 
more of rifles were leveled 
with deadly intent, but before 
a single one of them could be 
fired our colonel, Carnot Posey, 
commanded, "Cease firing; 
that man is too brave to be 
killed," and then, with ad- 
miration for the brave fellow, 
we gave him a hearty cheer, 
to which he replied by a grace- 
ful wave of his cap as he and 
his comrade passed behind the 
protection of an outbuilding. 



AND 

GENERAL WILSON'S FA3IOUS HOUSE, ''SLASHER.' 

By Maj. R. H. BIGGER, Hendersonville, N. C. 

»^^te=. 



i*^JVERY one in General 
W Early's command knew 
"Slasher." They will rec- 
ollect with what nimbleness 
and cat-like treads he carried 
his master. Col. Daniel Wil- 
son of the 6th La., through 
all the difficult passes and 
ways. Colonel Wilson was 
six feet four in his stockings 
and weighed three hundred 
pounds; according to the esti- 
mate of his regiment he would 
pull down a full thousand. It 
happened on a certain Sunday 
as Colonel Wilson was taking 
"Slasher" at a lively pace 
along a smooth Virginia road 
that he met General Stone- 
wall Jackson on his way to 
"preaching." After passing 
the usual compliments of the 
day, General Jackson said, 
"If it were not Sunday, col- 
onel, and if you were disposed 
to sell ' Slasher,' what would 
be your price for him?" Col- 
onel Wilson replied, " Well, 
general, if it were not Sunday, 
I might answer your question; 
but being Sunday, you will al- 
low me to postpone the answer 
to some future day of the week. " 

(44 



" Certainly," said Jackson, and 
rode on with his hat close 
down over his eyes, and his 
long, ungainly legs dangling 
limberly at his horse's side. 
The boys used to say that 
" Slasher " could jump over a 
church. 

"Slasher" was standing on 
one occasion hitched near the 
tent of Colonel Wilson, with 
his muscles, sinewy propor- 
tions and sleek side showing 
to great advantage in a bright 
morning sun, when General 
Lee approached Colonel Wil- 
son and passing salute said: 
" Colonel, in this world they 
say there is nothing perfect, 
but will you have the kindness 
to point out the defects in your 
horse?" "Yes, general, they 
are very broad and distressing, 
and they are the cause of the 
dejected manner which you 
have observed in me of late. 
When I ride ' Slasher ' at the 
head of the regiment through 
villages and towns, everybody 
cries out, ' Oh, what a magnifi- 
cent horse!' They never say, 
' What a handsome, noble look- 
ing officer.' " 



--# O L D ^ A B E,^-^ 

THE VETERAN WAR EAGLE OF WISCONSIN. 
The Gallant Bird that Braved Many a Battle with the 8th Wisconsin Regt. 

By W. C. KING, Springfield, Mass. 



^-^ sirgTir^l^^— ^ ^t^ — " 



^^\Op^HO of our readers has 
Z^S^S3not heard of "Old 
Ot^A^ Abe," the famous 
war eagle, who so nobly did so 
much in the late war, in cheer- 
ing on our brave boj^s to vic- 
tory? 

"Old Abe "was a native of 
Lake Superior, and when quite 
young was taken from his nest, 
in July, 18G1, by a little wild 
Indian boy by the name of 
0-ge-mah-we-ge-zhig, Avhose 
habitation was in the wilds of 
upper Wisconsin. 

The Indian children gave 
him the name of "Mee-Ke- 
zeen-ce " (Little Eagle). In the 
fall of the same year a farmer 
induced the little Indians to 
part with their pet in exchange 
for a bushel of corn. The bird 
had been in his new home but 
a short time when he declared 
war with all the domestic ani- 




mals about the place, and the 
farmer was obliged to coop 
"Abe " in order to preserve 
peace. 

While deliberating as to what 
disposition to make of the un- 
welcome family accession the 



(446) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 447 

idea occurred to the old farmer that the eagle should go to 
war. Acting on this idea he took him to Eau Claire and sold 
him. Shortly after the purchaser presented him to Co. C, 8th 
Wis. Vols., who made a standard for him upon which he was 
carried by the side of the regimental colors. For three long, 
hard, eventful years "Old Abe" was a comrade of that regi- 
ment, doing noble service in his way. He accompanied the 
regiment in all its marches, and took a lively interest in all of 
its battles. When the army was enveloped in smoke "Old 
Abe " manifested great delight. At such a time he was always 
to be found at the head of Co. C. When the storm of battle 
was raging fiercely and the air was dense with smoke, this 
noble bird would spread his pinions, jump up and down on his 
perch, utter such wild and unearthly screams as only an eagle can 
utter. The more terrific the battle, the fiercer the screams. A 
rebel soldier, brother of a noted guerrilla chief, visiting Madison 
in 1875. informed George W. Baker, one of the eagle's attend- 
ants, that, while in tlie Southern service, during one of the 
battles, he heard a rebel general say, "I rather capture 'Old 
Abe ' than a whole brigade." 

During a lull in the battle, as the enemy was preparing again 
to fire from the brow of the hill, distant not over thirty rods 
from the 8th Regt., the eagle being exposed in plain sight of the 
rebels, a Confederate officer was heard by several in Company 
C to say, "There he is — the eagle — capture him, boys I" No 
sooner was this command given, than the rebel artillery opened 
upon our forces, under whose cover a column, just discerned in 
the gathering smoke, moved briskly over the crest to break 
and scatter our steady front, and capture the prize. All this 
while, the eagle scanned with fire-lit eye every movement on 
that hill, and as the rebel infantry hove clearly in sight, it is 
said, he whistled a startling note of alarm, and instantly both 
armies struck each other in deafening shock, commingling with 
the boom and crash of cannon that trembled forest and valley. 
Shouts from both sides rent the air, while death mowed his 
swath clear through both armies, and yet the bloody gaps closed 
up again and again. Such is war! In the general conflict, the 
eagle leaped up with a desperate spring, breaking his cord or 
else it was cut by a minie ball, and was seen by the com- 
batants, circling, careering in the sulphurous smoke. The 
enemy pressed nearer, exultant, as if sure of their prize; the 



448 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

bullets flew as hailstones; there was a wavering of a wing — 
was he hit? — but the war bird rallied again, and, as he rose 
higher, many a rebel shot went up to bring down the American 
eagle. Yet on he sped, towering above that awful din, scream- 
ing back to his assailants, eying the battle from his sky-eyrie, 
when, catching a glimmer of his comrades in the fight and the 
colors where his bearer stood gazing upward with suspense — as 
if inspired by the very Roman gods — he descended, like a 
" bolt of Jove," to the left of his regiment, where McLane, 
flying after him, easily caught him up in his arms, trembling 
and panting with ardor, and whistling with his peculiar air of 
satisfaction. By permission, his bearer immediately carried 
liim cautiously from the field to the camp, where he remained 
till the close of the next day of battle, which ended in a 
Federal victory, purchased at a dear cost. On examination, it 
was found that the eagle was hit by a rebel bullet in the 
feathers of a wing near the flesh. 

Col. J. W. Jefferson, who led the valiant 8th in the Red River 
expedition, thus happily describes the eagle on parade and in 
battle: — 

" 'Old Abe' was with the command in nearly every action 
(about twenty-two), and in thirty skirmishes. He enjoyed the 
excitement: and I am convinced, from his peculiar manner, he 
was well informed in regard to army movements, dress parade, 
and preparations for the march and battle. Upon parade, after 
he had been a year in the service, he always gave heed to ' At- 
tention!' With his head obliquely to the front, his right eye 
directly turned upon the parade commander, he would listen 
and obey orders, noting time accurately. After parade had 
been dismissed, and the ranks were being closed by the ser- 
geants, he would lay aside his soldierly manner, flap his wings, 
and make himself generally at home. When there was an 
order to form for battle, he and the colors were first upon the 
line. His actions upon those occasions were uneasy, turning 
his head anxiously from right to left to see when the line was 
completed. Soon as the regiment got ready, faced, and was 
]>ut in march, he would assume a steady and quiet demeanor. 
In battle he was almost constantly flapping his wings, having 
his mouth wide open, and many a time would scream with 
wild enthusiasm. This was particularly so at the hard fought 
battle of Corinth, when our regiment repulsed and charged, or. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 449 

you might say, made a counter charge, on Price's famous Mo. 
brigade." 

Thus the Wisconsin war eagle became the most famous bird 
that ever fanned the breeze of heaven. 

He came out of the war known as the " Eagle Veteran " of 
the great Rebellion, with eye unblenched, with fearless and un- 
tiring wing, with talons still grasping the lightnings of battle, 
he came home to rest, crowned with the highest honor, revered 
and loved by all. 

Oft had he by example cheered the desponding, roused am- 
bition, and encouraged sacrifices. He had enlivened the dull 
hours of camp life, and during the thickest of the fight he 
would stand aloft with unfurled pinions, and with a wild, terri- 
ble shriek, lead the deadly charge to victory. Under the 
national colors, tattered and torn, yet blazing with the stars he 
loved, this " Bird of the Union " taught, by his spirit and exam- 
ple, the true art of conquest. After his brave and noble career 
in field and camp with the 8th, he was formally presented to 
the state of Wisconsin, and assigned quarters in the State 
House at Madison, where he was called upon by thousands of 
people eager to gaze upon such a grand specimen of the feath- 
ered tribe. 

Not only was '' Old Abe " of great service on the field of 
battle, but he was the means of raising thousands of dollars 
for the benefit of needy soldiers, their widows, and orphans. 

When the great sanitary fair was held at Chicago, Alfred 
Sewell had a beautiful little likeness,made of the brave bird and 
organized a corps of patriotic boys and girls throughout the 
Union to sell them. This juvenile army numbered nearly 
12,000 loyal children, and through their active effort the snug 
sum of $16,000 was turned over by Mr. Sewell to the committee 
of the fair. 

At the Centennial "Old Abe" was the object of great inter- 
est and admiration of the masses who continuall}^ crowded 
about his perch. No bird in the history of the world ever 
gained such an enviable reputation or was so loved by a nation, 
and when in 18 — the news was spread throughout the land that 
"Old Abe" was dead, thousands of hearts were caused to 
sorrow. 

'X'^ — : • — <V 

29 



SOLDIERS' LETTERS. 



THE ARMY POST OFFICE AT PORT ROYAL, S. G 



Reminiscences of the Civil Service at the Front During the War. 
How Soldiers' Letters and Papers Were Mailed and Distributed. 

Bij E. POUTEM DYER, Sxtrmyfield, Mass. 




|HE volunteer army that fought through the War of 
the Rebellion was a reading and writing army. No 
other army ever equaled it in this respect. The men 
had scarcely left their homes for the field before the 
idear home folks began to follow them with letters, news- 
papers, books, and all descriptions of reading matter, and 
at every opportunity on their route and all through the long 
four years of fighting, the soldiers dropped the sword and took 
up the pen with their tales of labors, dangers, and sufferings. 
In many an old trunk and chest, to-day, are stored away pre- 
cious packets of letters that in their day bore sad burdens of 
grief or precious freights of consolation from the soldier boy to 
his mother. Many others are the only relics of lives sacrificed 
for the country, containing the words and thoughts, and to a 
great extent the personality of men whose monument in some 
national cemetery is marked "unknown." 

The departure of thousands of home-loving men to the front 
thus threw a tremendous burden of work upon the post 
office department. The government at once recognized that the 
postal service should become a means of moral support to the 
army, and no restrictions were placed upon frequent and un- 
limited communication by mail between the camp and the 
home. The service was greatly enlarged and extended to the 
army wherever that was practicable, red tape was cut merci- 
lessly and the mails were hustled about, oftentimes regardless 
of regulations, the only desideratum being to " get there." 

(450) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 451 

In the summer of 1863, after having been in the government 
service for a year as superintendent of abandoned plantations 
and " contrabands," near Beaufort, S. C, I was appointed 
assistant postmaster of the Port Royal post office, on the Island 
of Hilton Head, S. C. This was the general distributing office 
for the Department of the South, which included all the army 
posts in South Carolina, Georgia, and Eastern Florida. The 
number of troops in the department was about 10,000, but that 
number was doubled at one time, when the attack upon 
Charleston was in preparation. In addition, there were 
many civilians in the department, for Hilton Head became for 
the time being a lively place for business, and Beaufort, for- 
merly, as now, one of the finest watering places on the South- 
east coast, was the headquarters of an interesting movement 
for the benefit of the colored people. Under General Rufus 
Saxton, the military governor of South Carolina, as he was 
officially titled, were employed a large number of civilians, 
men and women, who were distributed about the plantations, 
teaching schools, helping the colored people to care for them- 
selves, and generally trying to lift them out of the darkness 
and ignorance and indolence in which slavery left them, into 
something like civilization. The Port Royal post office also 
received and distributed the mails for the South Atlantic 
naval squadron, which blockaded the coast from Charleston 
to lower Florida, and cruised between the Bermudas and the 
Bahamas. 

Hilton Head was the headquarters of the 10th Army Corps. 
The government had built a long, substantial wharf from the 
low, sandy shore, to deep water, where ocean steamships could 
lie and discharge their freight. From this wharf railroad 
tracks radiated in various directions to the army store-houses, 
ordnance stores, forage sheds, etc., which covered nearly a 
square mile of territory. Along the beach were built the 
quarters of the officers, not palatial residences by any means, 
but plain whitewashed wooden buildings, designed for comfort 
and convenience, rather than luxury. On the shore was also 
the department hospital, a very large building or collection of 
buildings, open to the fresh sea breezes and supplied with all 
the comforts and conveniences that could be afforded in the 
army. Near the head of the government wharf was an old 
mansion, once the residence of the planter who cultivated the 



452 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

acres then occupied by the army buildings. This house was 
used for army offices, custom house, and signal station. From a 
tower on the roof of the building the signal corps communi- 
cated with various posts in the department by signal flags. In 
the rear of this building across a square, once a garden, but 
then a desert of sand and dust, were a number of buildings 
occupied by Adams' Express, a printing office, one or two 
sutlers' stores, and the Port Royal post office. The government 
had not spent a fortune in housing the postal department at 
Hilton Head. Its quarters were an old cotton shed, one story in 
height, with a commodious garret. At the time I entered the 
postal service, the business had become so large that the build- 
ing was wholly inadequate for the work. The postal depart- 
ment could not be induced to furnish better quarters, but the 
quartermaster general of the department came to our relief, 
detailed a number of soldiers who were carpenters, gave us 
some lumber, and we set to work to enlarge the premises. My 
first few nights in the post office were spent upon a luxurious 
couch, composed of mail bags spread upon the mailing table. 
But the army authorities were good to us and gave me an A 
tent with a board floor, and made me a bunk. The tent was 
pitched in the yard, back of the post office, and there I spent 
the nights for two or three months in comparative comfort, 
except when the Hilton Head real estate took the wings of the 
wind and half buried me in the bunk. After the renovation of 
the post office, the postmaster and I had luxurious quarters in 
the garret, with a door opening upon the top of a piazza, and 
two dormer windows to admit the sea breezes. The force in 
the office ordinarily consisted of the postmaster, assistant post- 
master, book-keeper, two detailed soldiers and a colored porter. 
This was force enough for seven days out of eight, but on the 
eighth day, when the mails arrived from the North, we had 
volunteer assistance according to our needs. Several of the 
army chaplains who took charge of their regimental mail, a 
sergeant of the First Massachusetts cavalry, and other soldiers 
were always on hand to help us in a rush. We had no red 
tape about us, and required no bonds of those who assisted us 
in distributing the mails. Oftentimes we were so crowded 
with help that we stood elbow to elbow, with scarcely room to 
turn around. The arrangements were primitive and rough, 
but the work was done and that was all we cared for. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 453 

The regular service in the department was pretty well organ- 
ized. Steamers ran daily to Beaufort, Folby and James 
Islands, and mails were forwarded when there was anything 
to forward. Steamers ran regularly to Fort Pulaski, Ga., and 
to Fernandina, Jacksonville, and St. Augustine, Fla., and there 
was always more or less army mail, dispatches, etc., to be for- 
warded. This, however, was easy work, and the interim 
between the Northern mails had to be filled in with a good deal 
of loafing. 

But every eight days, with pretty fair regularity, came 
either the Fulton or Arago, ocean steamships, formerly of the 
French line between New York and Havre, bringing the mails 
from New York. Then there was work enough to atone for 
all the leisure. The week's mail sometimes weighed two or 
three tons, and was brought from the steamer in forage 
wagons. The letter bags were first attacked. In those days, 
letters mailed from distributing post offices, were assorted in 
packages of 100, wrapped in brown paper, and tied with 
strings. The post office department had an economical streak 
in the use of wrapping paper and string, and we had to waste 
some time in opening the packages. The colored man straight- 
ened out the w^rappers and corraled the twine for future use. 
The letters were arranged upon a large table, in rows of thou- 
sands, from which the sorters took them and distributed them 
into bags, every regiment, or separate company, or battalion, 
and every naval vessel having its own bag, while boxes were 
provided for headquarters, and for various army departments. 
In the "general delivery" were about 200 private boxes and 
all letters not distinctly marked for regiments, etc., went to 
the general delivery. 

It never required less than ten or twelve hours of very hard and 
steady work for eight or ten men to distribute the eight days' mail 
and forward it to its destination. We always grew very tired, 
and sometimes " cross " and " sassy." General and regimental 
officers at first sent orderlies for their letters, and often delayed 
us in the distribution. So we made a rule to deliver no mail 
to anybody till the whole letter mail was distributed, except to 
those who had lock boxes and could help themselves. This 
sometimes caused bad language on the part of the army officers, 
but it came to be understood, finally, that Uncle Sam's post- 
master was as big a man on his ranche as a commanding general. 



454 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

In distribution we became pretty expert. We had to be. If 
letters went to the wrong regiment we were sure to hear com- 
plaints. Soldiers wanted their letters right off. Those who 
were detailed away from their regiments wanted their letters 
kept out of the regimental mail and sent direct to them. 
Officers were here one week and there another, and we kept the 
run of them. The consequence was that the post office man was a 
general walking directory of the department, and we were often 
better able to direct letters correctly than the people who wrote 
them. When troops were transferred to other departments, as 
to Virginia or North Carolina, we forwarded their letters as 
promptly as possible. Once we had a large quantity of mail 
for regiments that we knew nothing of, which should have 
gone to Kentucky or Tennessee. Frequently, letters came for 
men in regiments, supposed to be in South Carolina, but which 
we knew to be in Louisiana or Missouri. 

On several occasions while I was in the Port Royal post 
office, the steamers were taken off by the government for other 
service, temporarily, and we waited from twelve to fourteen 
days for the mails. When they did arrive there was a grand 
wrestle, of course. The hardest job we ever had, and the hardest 
work I ever did, was when the government took our steamships 
for the North Carolina expedition 'and delayed our mail for 
nearly three weeks. Day after day we waited, with no idea of 
what was going on at the North, except through reports 
received from rebel sources and which we knew not whether to 
believe or not. At last the steamer was sighted coming over 
the bar, and all Hilton Head was alive with excitement. The 
mail reached the office about sundown. It filled a room fifteen 
feet square and twelve feet high, packed solidly to the top. 
We worked with full force upon that mail two nights and a 
day, without pause, except for hurried meals, one at a time, and 
to make room, we had to send off every few hours as we could, 
whatever we had distributed. 

In addition to the letter mail, to which we always devoted 
first and closest attention, the newspaper mail was almost 
limitless. The New York and Boston daily newspapers came in 
great bundles, local newspapers all over the country had thou- 
sands of subscribers in the army, while transient papers, nov- 
els, books, and packages of every description came in a flood. 
These we knew were prized only second to the letters, and while 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 455 

we were not as careful in the distribution as in the case of the let- 
ters, they generally went to their destination with accuracy. 
We did not, however, remail the missent newspapers, except 
the transient stamped papers, and always had more or less 
newspapers for our own leisurely reading, or for sending to the 
hospitals, picket posts, etc. In those days there was no pack- 
age post as to-day. In fact, it was improper to send certain 
articles through the newspaper mail. But we couldn't be too 
scrupulous. There was no time to examine suspicious packages, 
and many a soldier received articles through the mail that 
should have been forwarded under letter postage or by express, 
such as articles of clothing, handkerchiefs, caps, packages of 
eatables, bottles of medicine and hair oil, boxes of salve and 
pills, perfumery, etc. Sometimes the office would be so scented 
with some strange medicinal or toilet article as to drive us to 
the door or window for breath. 

The registered mail was at times quite large and gave us a 
good deal of trouble. The articles could be delivered only to 
the person addressed or to his order, and he had to be notified. 
This registered mail was very largely the result of thinly 
veiled lotteries, gift enterprises, etc., into which the soldiers 
were inveigled by floods of circulars and advertisements. The 
packages contained watches, jewelry, and all sorts of articles 
of supposed, but often of fictitious value, but they had to be 
delivered, "unsight, unseen." The registered mail sent North 
was also large, especially after pay day, when the soldiers sent 
home their money for safe keeping, or to help the old folks. 

After the mail from the North was distributed, we were busy 
until the steamer sailed, with our outgoing mail. This had 
accumulated through the week between mails, and was made 
ready for shipment as fast as it came in. But sometimes sev- 
eral regiments would send in their mails a short time before 
the sailing of the steamer, and it required very lively work to get 
them postmarked, and wrapped, and directed to the proper dis- 
tributing offices at the North in season for the departure of the 
steamer. This done, the mail off:, and we took a week for rest. 

In this interim I often served at the general delivery, where 
there was a fair chance to practice patience and good nature. 
There was one old soldier on duty at the hospital who used to 
come nearly every day and ask if there was a letter for him. 
I could tell him no, without looking, but he would insist on 



456 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



my looking over the letters for him. Then he would say 
almost invariably: " Wal, I didn't hardly expect one, but 
thought I'd jest roll round and see." The colored people, who were 
numerous about Hilton Head and had already begun to reap the 
benefits of education, were good patrons of the post office. I 
had to be well versed in hieroglyphics to decipher the addresses 
of their letters, and was often asked to read the contents for 
the benefit of the recipient. In this way I became a repository 
of some tender colored secrets, and had a good deal of amuse- 
ment out of the singular correspondence which was conducted 
upon epistolary principles, often quite unique. Sometimes I 
acted as amanuensis for these colored lovers, and was a good 
deal puzzled to express myself in a way that would appear ver- 
nacular to the person to whom the letter was addressed. Once, 
two young negroes came into the vestibule of the office, one the 
pilot of the other, who had a letter to mail. Looking at the 
sign over the letterbox, the pilot spelled, " L-e-t-t-e-r, tar, b-o-x, 
box, Tarbox, — oh, yas, dat's him," — then stepping to the delivery 
he asked, "Is Mass' Tarbox in de pos' off us?" I told him I 
didn't know Mr. Tarbox. He looked puzzled, and glanced at 
the sign again and said: " Ain' dat de name on de do' plate, 
Massa?" 



HOW M'CLELLAN WAS LOVED. 

JOHN W. MAHAN. 



|0 man ever lived who was more 
dear to the hearts of his soldiers. 
The scene that took place when 
McClellan, accompanied by General 
Burnside, his successor, rode along the 
line of encampments to take farewell 
of his comrades, will never fade from 
the memory of those who witnessed it. 
The troops were not formed, but by a 
common impulse, from generals to 



drummer boys, rushed to the roadside 
and cheered amid their tears, and cried 
out : " Oh, come back, ' Little Mac ' ! 
come back ! " General Lee, four miles 
away, believed an attack was imminent, 
and prepared for it, but the army was 
marched to the vicinity of Falmouth, 
and about a month later was dashed 
against St. Marye's Heights, in rear of 
Fredericksburg. 



'-1?^ 



^P^^ 



g—T-* 1 « 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



457 



TThb Old Cantkkn. 






BY G. M. ^WHITE. 



§END it up to the garret ? Well, no, 
what's the harm 

'^^d^ If it hangs like a horseshoe to 
serve as a charm ? 

Had its day, to be sure ; matches ill with 
things here ; 

Shall I sack the old thing just because 
it is queer ? 

Thing of beauty 'tis not, but a \o^ none 
the less, 

As my hot lips remember its old time 
caress, 

And I think of the solace once gurgling 
between 

My lips from that old battered tin can- 
teen. 



It has hung by my side in the long, 

weary tramp, 
Been my friend in the bivouac, barrack, 

and camp, 
In the triumph, the capture, advance, 

and retreat, 
More than light to my path, more than 

guide to my feet, 
Sweeter nectar ne'er flowed, howe'er 

sparkling and cold. 
From out chalice of silver or goblet of 

gold, 



For a king or an emperor, princess or 

queen. 
Than to me from the mouth of that old 

canteen. 

It has cheered the desponding on many 

a night. 
Till their laughing eyes gleamed in the 

camp fire light. 
Whether guns stood in silence, or 

boomed at short range. 
It was always on duty, though 'twould 

not be strange 
If in somnolent period just after 

" taps " 
Some colonel or captain, disturbed at 

his naps. 
May have felt a suspicion that " spirits " 

unseen 
Had somehow bedeviled that old can- 
teen. 

But I think on the time when in lulls of 

the strife 
It has called the far look in dim eyes 

back to life. 
Helped to staunch the quick blood just 

beginning to pour, 
Softened broad, gaping wounds that 

were stiffened and sore, 



458 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



Moistened thin, livid lips, so despairing 

of breath 
They could only speak thanks in the 

quiver of death ; 
If an angel of mercy ever hovered 

between 
This world and the next 'twas the old 

canteen. 

Then banish it not as a profitless 

thing, 
Were it hung in a palace it well might 

swing, 
To tell in its mute, allegorical way 
How the citizen volunteer won the 

day, 
How he bravely, unflinchingly, grandly 

won. 
And how, when the death-dealing work 

was done, 



'Twas as easy his passion from war to 

wean 
As his mouth from the lips of the old 

canteen. 

By and by, when all hate for the rags 

with the bars 
Is foi-gotten in love for the " stripes and 

the stars "; 
When Columbia rules everything solid 

and sole, 
From her own ship canal to the ice at 

the pole ; 
When the Grand Army men have obeyed 

the last call. 
And the Mayflowers and violets bloom 

for us all ; 
Then away in some garret the cobwebs 

may screen 
My battered, old, cloth-covered tin can- 
teen. 



^-eT 



BEAUREGARD'S PULSE IN BATTLE. 

[Sortli Ameiioan Review.] 

^TtN a private note accompanying the 
Cl second part of his article on the 

c^ campaign of Shiloh, General Beau- 
regard records this interesting fact . — 

"Just before mounting (on the morn- 
ing of the second day's fight) it occvirred 
to me to ascertain the pulsations of the 
human system in the excitement of 
going into battle. I requested my medi- 
cal director. Dr. Brodie, to examine the 
pulses of myself and staff. He found 
that they varied from 90 to 130." 



A Joke in the Thick of Battle. 

.0 ■ — -^ )S: — • ■ c- 

tN old tar-heel who was " thar " 
says that at the battle of Chan- 
<^ cellorsville, while the fight was 
raging General Rhodes rode up to Gen- 
eral Ramseur and asked him what time 
it was. Ramseur, pulling out his old 
timepiece slowly, said : 

"General, in such an emergency as 
this my old watch never runs." 

Rhodes " took" right off and returned 
to where the bullets were " ticking " the 
seconds. 




ip BJiTTLE OF HILOR'5 G11EE](. 

Vivid Battle Pictures and Hand-to-Hand Conflict. 

COL. ARCHIBALD HOPKINS, STth Mass. Vols. 




^N the 2d of April, 1864, we 

had been in the front line 

of the assaulting column 
at Petersburg. On the 3d, 4th, !£ 
and 5th, our corps having been |^/jl^ 
attached to General Sheridan's 
command by his special re- 
quest, we were making forced 
marches, keeping up with the 
cavalry in that relentless pur- 
suit, which was the secret of 
final success. The weather 
had grown very warm for the 
season, and, after the first halt, 
the ground for acres was cov- miles, when about 2 P. m. rapid 
ered with overcoats, extra artillery firing was heard, and 
blankets, and clothing, and an order to double-quick told 
various little comforts which us that there was work ahead, 
even the oldest soldiers some- There followed a hard three 
times begin a campaign with, miles run, the men dripping 
but which are gradually dis- and panting under their loads, 
carded till only the barest nee- but determined to be in at the 
essaries remain. On the 6th death, for every one felt the end 
we had already covered twenty was at hand. 

(459) 




460 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

At the first sound of the artillery the men began without 
orders to fill the magazines of their Spencer rifles as they moved 
along. The Spencer, at that time, was by far the best weapon 
in use, not so heavy as the Springfield, and surpassing it in 
range and precision. 

At the top of the slope in a field to the left of the road, near 
an old barn, Sheridan sat on his black horse, talking to Wright, 
and I saw him make a gesture with his palms turned to the 
front that said unmistakably whatever opposed us on the hill 
opposite was to be pushed out of the way. As the men recog- 
nized Sheridan a rattling cheer went down the line, for every 
man implicitly trusted his splendid leadership. 

His cavalry had cut off the principal wagon train of Lee's 
army, and Stonewall Jackson's corps, now commanded by Ewell, 
had been put in position to check our pursuit and save the train. 
General Kershaw was on the right of their line, Castis Lee on 
the left, and the naval battalion of picked men from the gun- 
boats at Richmond, was in the rear of Lee's right, in reserve. 

After crossing the creek, which was barely fordable, the line 
was reformed, and the regiment moved by the flank a short dis- 
tance to the right, and then the order was brought to charge up 
the hill. The growth of young pines was so dense that it was 
impossible to tell whether our connection on the right or left 
was maintained. 

We were now moving steadily up the hill, and bullets began 
to fly plentifully. Instinctively we felt that a few steps more 
would precipitate a bloody fight, but the line did not waver nor 
was there any flinching or skulking. As we rose the crest, a 
crashing volley from an invisible enemy tore through the pines 
over our heads. The misdirected aim was most fortunate for 
us. Before the enemy could reload we were close upon them. 
At the word every man poured in seven shots from his Spencer, 
at easy speaking distance and with deadly effect. Large num- 
bers fell killed and wounded, many came in and gave them- 
selves up, some escaped, and all semblance of organization or 
opposition melted away from our front and disappeared. 
Flushed with success we moved steadily to the front a distance 
of probably three hundred yards; when the growth becoming 
less dense it appeared that we had no support on either flank. 
At this juncture Custis Lee moved the naval battalion through 
one of the deep gulches around our right, and about half the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 461 

length of the regiment in our rear. We discovered the move- 
ment just in time to face about, and in a moment it was hand 
to hand, and a brief, fierce struggle ensued with musketry at 
arm's length, officers fighting with clubbed muskets and pistols 
and the bayonet coming into free use for the first time in our 
experience. Clouds of sulphurous smoke obscured everything 
not close at hand, and it was as these opened and shifted that 
I had glimpses of battle groups and scenes which will always 
remain in my memory. One, just a momentary glimpse, seen 
and lost too soon to know the result, of a powerful officer in 
gray with clubbed musket raised to strike down Captain Chand- 
ley, who had a Spencer rifle and was cocking it to fire. An- 
other of a flaming rebel battle- flag planted in the ground a few 
feet away, the center of a desperate struggle; a blue-coated 
sergeant seized it only to fall desperately wounded beneath its 
folds, when a plucky little fellow whom I recognized through 
the smoke as Private Taggart, of Co. B, wrested it from its hold 
and carried it safe to the rear. The battle was now at its height; 
blue and gray mingled in a confused mass, swayed back and 
forth in the eddying smoke, and fierce cries of "Down with 
'era," "Give 'em h — 1," and the clashing of crossed bayonets 
could be heard rising above the sound of the musketry. In- 
tense excitement swallowed up all sense of danger and every 
man fought almost with savage fury. Meanwhile our Spencers 
had again given us the advantage, and the enemy, broken into 
confused groups, were driven back into the ravine in a huddled 
mass. We gathered at its mouth and gave them such a ter- 
rible raking fire that they soon began to show white handker- 
chiefs in token of surrender, and our firing ceased. 

The adjutant, John S. Bradley, of Lee, demanded the sword 
of a rebel officer near whom he was standing, when the officer, 
without a word, put his pistol to the adjutant's breast. He saw 
the movement just in time to knock his hand aside, when they 
grappled and rolled down into the ravine, the officer discharging 
his pistol into the adjutant's shoulder as they went. A rebel 
soldier also shot him through the thigh, and in an instant more 
his antagonist would have dispatched him with another shot, 
when Private Eddy, of Co. B, who had been watching his 
chance, as Bradley's assailant came uppermost, shot him dead, 
Eddy had hardly fired when a powerful grayback thrust him 
through with a bayonet, the point coming out near his spine, 



462 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

and he was pinned to the ground. His antagonist then tried to 
wrest his Spencer from him, but he ckmg to it desperately and 
finally succeeded in firing a shot which was fatal to his enemy. 
The rebel fell upon him, but Eddy thrust his body aside, pulled 
out the bayonet which transfixed him, and staggered to the rear, 
where he was cared for, and he finally recovered. After this 
we opened fire again with deadly effect and they gave up this 
time in earnest. Seventy dead were taken from the ravine. 
During the fight a corporal, who was noted for his quiet 
promptitude and unvarying good behavior, found himself con- 
fronted by a rebel officer whose surrender he demanded. The 
officer refused, and the corporal fired, shooting him through the 
body. As he fell the corporal bent over and told him that he 
was sorry he had to shoot him, and that he was a Christian, and 
if he wished he would pray with him. The officer eagerly as- 
sented and the corporal knelt amidst the drifting smoke and 
flying missiles and the shouts and groans of the combatants, and 
offered a fervent prayer for the soul of his dying f oeman. When 
he had finished they shook hands and the officer gave the cor- 
poral his sword as a memento, and asked him to write to his 
wife what had befallen him. 

An Irish corporal, whose brother had been killed on the para- 
pet in the assault on Petersburg a few days before, concealed 
himself in a thicket and killed nine rebels during the fight. 
When it was over he said he didn't know as it would help 
poor Mike any, but somehow he felt " aisyer about the heart." 

It was past three o'clock when we struck the enemy, and as 
the shadows fell, and the evening breeze rose and sighed a 
requiem through the swaying pines, all sounds of conflict died 
away, and we made our bivouac close at hand. It had been a 
glorious victory all along the line, resulting in a loss to Lee's 
crumbling and disrupted army of about 8,000. Three days later 
came Lee's surrender, and the campaigns of the Army of the 
Potomac were ended. 




CAMP FORD PRISON. 



CRUELTY, STARYATION AND EXPOSURE BEYOND ENDURANCE. 



EXPERIENCE OF DANA W. KING, NASHUA, N. H. 




U ONG will live the memory of Camp Ford. 
i\ This prison was a stockade, covering about 
seven acres of ground, on a sunny slope 
not far from Tyler, Texas. At the south- 
east corner of the inclosure was a spring 
strongly impregnated with sulphur, but its 
supply of water was sadly inadequate for the 4, GOO men con- 
fined there during ISGi. There was hardly enough for cooking 
and drinking, and to secure this men would have to stand in 
the hot sun, shoeless, hatless, and shirtless, awaiting an oppor- 
tunity to fill their gourds. Washing per se was sadly neglected. 
Within fifty feet of the outside of the stockade was a much 
larger spring, but this was reserved for the rebel guards. 
Booths of brush were constructed by some, and a few of the 
earlier comers were fortunate enough to get a few logs with 
which to build a cover, but by far the larger number had holes 
in the ground or no shelter at all. The men dropped themselves 
into the holes, feet first, and, during the winter, obtained par- 
tial protection from the bleak winds; but when a northeast 
rain storm set in the waters soon drove the men from the holes 
and there was no escape from standing in the cold wind and 
rain. Constant exercise to keep up circulation and warmth 
was the only safeguard. 

Of clothes, many had a simple pretense; and quite a number 
were reduced to a rag around their loins. It was no uncommon 
thing for a man in anticipation of death to sell such apparel as 
he might have for food, the purchaser to take the clothes from 
the body of the seller after death. To such an extent did com- 
rades suffer from hunger that in cases they have sold their 

(463) 



464 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

clothes to one, two, and three different parties before they 
died. Of course in such cases it resulted in serious and bitter 
quarrels as to the ownership of the rags. At no time was fuel 
furnished but for cooking purposes, and then very meagerly; 
yet there was just outside forests in abundance. For a little 
time details of men were allowed to go out for wood, but the 
number attempting to escape soon cut off this privilege. A 
pint of meal, — corn and cob ground together, — a small piece of 
blue beef, constituted a day's rations. Many were too reduced 
to eat such food, but nothing else was furnished, and even this 
was raw. The writer has seen a man just at the gates of 
death eagerly clutching and gibberishly talking to an ear 
of corn, as though it were an inestimable treasure. The enemy 
frequently quoted their abundant supply of corn as an evidence 
of their ability to continue the contest until victory should 
crown their effort. The ground was alive with vermin and of 
necessity the living suffered indescribably from them. Only 
the maggots would feed upon the festering corpse; other vermin 
would leave the victim as soon as dead and seek if possible to 
increase the swarms already covering the living. The anguish 
of lingering deaths suffered by comrades, if possible to describe, 
would haunt the reader with a specter so horrid as to blast every 
pleasure of life. The atmosphere was poisoned from the sinks 
which occupied the upper part of the inclosure. No attempt 
at removing or covering the excrement was made, and so night 
and day it was breeding disease' and death. 

There was little that comrades could do for each other; it was 
an individual struggle for life. The sun by day and the dews 
and chills of night induced typhus and typhoid fever; chronic 
diarrhea was alarmingly prevalent; the lack of vegetables in- 
duced scurvy, while the poisoned air gave death a mortgage 
upon all, and in many cases it was speedily foreclosed. The 
dead line, imaginary in itself, was made real by the forms of 
those who fell from rebel bullets. Murder was at a premium, and 
he who could circumvent the death of a Yankee was furloughed 
or promoted, and no questions asked. One man on his knees, 
and engaged in prayer in a prayer-meeting, — think of it, a 
prayer-meeting there! — was shot dead. His murderer was pro- 
moted. Bloodhounds were there to outstrip the adventurous 
one who would attempt to escape, and if he escaped being 
mangled by the hounds, he could mark time all day in the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



465 



scorching sun, at the point of tlie bayonet, knowing, if he 
faltered but a step, it was instant death or being hung up by 
the thumbs, until death itself would seem a glad relief. The 
insurborduiation of any person furnished an excuse for cutting 
off the rations from the whole camp. Thus, the soldier of the 
Union endured and suffered; and, alas! how many died, until the 
glad hour of peace brought back hope and home, and a grand 
realization of all for which they fought and waited? 



THK RKTRKAT. 



UTT THERE'S Fred— is he back in 

\/\/ the villainous rain ? 

V f We're out in an ocean ! Let's 
hold up a bit ; 
A comrade's a comrade ; we'll find him 
again 
And keep him ahead. It's a pity he's 
hit. 

" Keep your horse to the right ! Did 
you hear a halloo ? 
This pipe in my pocket has torn — 
ha ! he's there ! 
He rode like a man in the battle all 
through. 
He's coming all right ; I'll trust to that 
mare. 

" She's the captain's, you know — or was, 
to-day noon , 
But Fred got her next ! I suppose 'ts 
all fair ; 
I was corporal, well ! — by Jove there's 
the moon, 
And Fred's lying over his pommel, 
I swear ! 

" It's too late. Hurry on. We are rid- 
ing for life. 
Oh, it's rough ! and he fought like a 
tiger at bay, 
Did you mind that deep cut he got 
from a knife. 
When he closed with the big rebel 
captain to-day ? 

" Hurry on ! we are lagging. I say, 
hurry on ! 
It's too late, we must get to the 
river to-night. 
30 



God ! he's groaning ! I — I — Jack, you 
ride on alone, 
It won't do ; he stuck to us to-day in 
the fight. 

" Well, stay if you will. See how weak 
he has grown ! 
How he clutches the mane ! 

Fred ! Fred ! Cheer up, man ! 
Cheer up ! the river's a little way on, 
If we can make that we're safe, and 
I am certain we can. 

" Rouse up ! don't you know me, old 
fellow? It's I, 
Your comrade " — the trooper is call- 
ing in vain ; 
To his anxious ear comes no reply 
But the jaded tramp in the plashing 
rain. 

The crouching figure its steed be- 
strode 
With a clasp as firm as in deadly 
fight; 
He has jaassed the river; the trooper 
rode 
In death, as in life, on that fearful 
night. 

The ride was over, the night had 
flown ; 
The river was reached at the dawn 
of day ; 
But back by the roadside sleeping 
alone 
In the dusk of the morning a com- 
rade lay. 



The 8tli lom Qt the Gnpture of Mohile. 

APRIL, 1865, 

A Gallant Charge from the Trenches into the Enemy's Works. 

By CHAPLAIN HOWARD, 124th III. 




PRIL 8th, the 13th and last clay of the siege, 
opened fair and cool. Skirmishing had been 
going on all night, but there had been very little 
artillery firing. About noon, we received orders 
to be ready to march with twenty days' rations — 
five in haversacks, and fifteen in wagons. This 
the men did not relish; it seemed like cheating them out of the 
fruits of a well-earned victory. At 5 P. M., our brigade was 
ordered back into the rifle-pits, as there was to be a general 
bombardment. Soon after, it began from ninety-six guns, 
fifty-three of which were siege guns. The enemy were also 
shelling heavily, and the effect was terrific. The corps com- 
manders had discretionary orders from the beginning of the 
siege to take every advantage that promised decisive results. 
Just when the cannonading was at its height, General Carr 
determined to carry a crest covered with pines, for the purpose 
of planting a battery. The execution of this undertaking was 
given by Colonel Geddes, who was in command of the brigade, 
to Lieut. -Col. Bell, of the 8th Iowa, who accomplished it gal- 
lantly, though not without severe loss. In doing it he pushed 
forward only three companies of his regiment, while all the 
rest of the brigade was engaged in the rifle-pits, where the 
firing blinded the rebels to what was being done on their left. 
So, when those who were first attacked had yielded, and the 
victorious 8th moved on to adjacent pits, they were a perfect 
surprise to their occupants, who surrendered or were shot down 
in their tracks. In this way, the gallant 8th captured about 
three hundred yards of the Confederate works, with three 

(460) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 467 

stands of colors, and about three hundred and fifty prisoners 
before enemies or friends hardly realized what was being 
attempted; in fact, it was a surprise to themselves, and was 
one of the most dashing and brilliant exploits of the war. It 
was now quite dark; but gaining a knowledge of what was 
going forward, the rest of the brigade gallantly rushed out of 
the trenches and entered the works. We were ordered to com- 
mence intrenching to hold our ground, as no other portion of 
the besieging force was in concert with us. This we actually 
commenced to do; but were soon compelled to form line to repel 
assault, one having just been made upon the 8th Iowa's advance. 
After advancing about one hundred and fifty yards, a piece of 
artillery opened with grape, but they speedily captured it, and 
with it eight or ten prisoners and another gun. Sending his pris- 
oners to the rear. Captain Pratt requested permission to continue 
his advance, as he believed that the enemy was evacuating, and 
that these few men were only a feint to cover the escape of the 
main body. Co. F continued to move forward, capturing eight 
or ten pieces of artillery, and more men than its own force num- 
bered. Some of the men inquired if the captain was going to 
take Co. F to Mobile unsupported. At last the rest of the 
regiment came up to find the rebels really gone, and they pene- 
trated as far in the darkness as old Spanish Fort, which was 
reached about midnight. Here, we stacked arms and rested; 
scrambling meantime for the possession of the guns, and for the 
hams and cornmeal left by the garrison. Very soon, the 
Octorora, not knowing of the change of administration in 
the fort, sent a hundred-pound shell, and it was deemed prudent 
to withdraw, so they returned to their quarters, reaching them 
about three o'clock in the morning, confident that they had 
done a pretty good night's work. 



THE "IMPERIAL." THE FIRST CAVALRY FIGHT. 



VhE first boat to descend to New T^HE first real cavalry fight of the 
Orleans after the capture of Vicks- J war took jalace at Kelly's Ford, 
burg was the Imperial. about the 15th of March, 1863. 



The Citizen Soldier. 



SOMB OK His Kirst Kxperiences. 



Reminiscences of Enlistment Days. — In Camp at Pittsfield. — Incidents 

of the Journey to Washington. — The First Regular Encampment 

on Arlington Heights. — Going to the Front in 1862. 

JAIVIES L. BOWEN, 37tti IVIass. 



O one who participated in the thrilling scenes of 
1861-5 will forget the emotions and the mental strug- 
gles which preceded and accompanied the active 
part which he took in the war for the Union. War 
was so strange, so utterly unknown a thing in the 
then recent history of the country, with the excep- 
tion of the brief and far away events in Mexico, 
that the young men of that day had, I suppose, as 
little comprehension of what it really meant as an 
intelligent being could well have. He had read of 
the bloody scenes in the early history of the country, 
the cruel Indian wars which had given the fathers 
possession of the land; the long struggles which had 
led to the establishment of the country — of the hor- 
rors of British prison ships and the sufferings of Valley Forge, 
and had felt with deep movings of the soul that the blessings 
which had been won at such cost by the sires should be pre- 
served at all hazards by the sons. But had those sons the 
courage to meet the great test of the battle field, and all that 
war meant? This was a question which came home to every 
thinking man oftener and more forcibly than he confessed to 
even his nearest friend. 

This question deepened in importance as the months rolled 
away and it became evident to the most reluctant that war in 

(468) 




BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 469 

dead earnest was upon us, and that the fact had to be recog- 
nized. How feverish those early days! With what eagerness 
the more impulsive sought to enroll themselves among the de- 
fenders of the flag which had been insulted at Sumter! How rap- 
idly companies were formed, and how earnestly they pleaded to be 
allowed to go somewhere that they might do service before it 
became too late! The earlier contingents, hastily summoned 
for brief service, had representatives of our communities; then 
followed the more deliberate preparations and the gathering of 
forces for longer terms of service. With what pride we looked 
upon the imposing battalion line of our brave boys! The sum- 
mer wore away, and the lessons of Bull Run and Ball's Bluff 
were learned. The conviction that the war was an earnest one 
deepened, and yet human nature — intolerant of pain, and suffer- 
ing, and death for its friends — could look upward with faith- 
brightened vision and sigh, "Not for long." 

The first winter passed, spring came, and the crash of battle 
shook the country. Wherever the contending armies met our 
brothers and friends were in the front; day by day came back 
the sad intelligence of the bright and brave ones who had 
fallen in battle or by disease; in every community wounded, 
maimed, and crippled ones were to be seen, everywhere the ob- 
jects of the most tender attention and the deepest sympathy. 
And yet the rebellion did not collapse. Notwithstanding the 
multitudes that had gone forth, the early summer of 1802 saw a 
call for 300,000 more volunteers for three years or during the 
war, followed almost immediately by a summons for another 
300,000 for nine months, the latter to be raised by draft, if nec- 
essary. Those were portentous words; the quotas must be 
filled. 

Meetings were held in every community, urging the cause of 
the country, the honor of the commonwealth, the patriotism of 
the individual, among other reasons for the decisive step. A 
national bounty of one hundred dollars had been offered, 
twenty-five dollars payable on muster and the balance at the 
end of the term of service. The great question came to our 
young men more forcibly than it had come before. Those who 
had felt bound to home life, to their business pursuits or their 
books, — who had hoped that their services would not be needed, 
— could no longer disguise the fact that they were called to at- 
test their patriotism. 



470 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

It was but natural that the recruit should find some difficulty 
in adjusting himself to the changed mode of life. The greatest 
effort was not required in dropping the comforts of home and 
taking up life in the camp. Perchance the embryo soldier 
"felt lonesome" as he strolled among the hundreds of men 
whom he had never seen before, and looked for some one 
whom he knew, wandering down the street of the company to 
which he was assigned, with its row of small tents on each 
side, finding at length one in which the complement of four or 
six that it would accommodate was not filled and especially 
rejoiced if among the number there was one whom he had al- 
ready come to regard as a friend. Then it was not quite his 
way to wrap a blanket about him and sink down to sleep on the 
ground inside the tent, curling closer to his tent-mate as the 
chill of evening stole through the slight covering; but it was 
easy to learn and the warmth of a comrade's body and a share 
of his blanket in time of need kindled many a sincere friendship 
that glows in earnest hearts to-day, or that adds a tear and a 
kind memory to the annual flower-ofi^ering over the graves of 
the fallen. It cost something of an effort for the recruit to 
march three times a day to the long tables where the very plain 
rations with which lie was provided were served on rough tin 
plates; but not very far in the future the "hash" which he 
then greeted with derisive cries he would have hailed as a royal 
banquet. In general it was not considered a hardship for the 
enlisted man to take his turn at guard duty, on drill or in such 
other service as was required of him; for having become a 
soldier he was anxious to acquit himself creditably, and the 
"veteran" who had seen a few months' service, especially if 
he had been discharged for wounds received and had recovered 
sufficiently to enlist again, was ever the center of an interested 
group, who were but too glad to hear and act upon his sugges- 
tions. 

But there was a task more difficult than all these for the vol- 
unteer soldier, and that was the bringing of the free American 
citizen to the point of military discipline and subordination 
requisite for efficiency in actual service. It was unavoidable 
that under the system of issuing commissions which prevailed, 
a very great diversity of military talent should have been dis- 
played by those who thus suddenly found themselves "officers." 
It was a good deal of a tax on the bright young man who had 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 471 

been all his life his own master to bring him at once to the in- 
flexible requirements of military discipline, at the best; and 
this difficulty was sensibly increased when he found that his 
neighbor and life-long acquaintance, a man in no respect his 
superior, was placed in a position to demand from him the most 
implicit and unquestioning obedience. The situation was still 
further complicated when the officer, as was many times the 
case, proved destitute of military tact and capacity, or used his 
power to gratify personal likes or dislikes, or to "payoff old 
scores." Such wearers of the shoulder-straps were not long left 
in ignorance of the feelings of the men toward them, though 
outwardly the semblance of subordination might be preserved. 
On the other hand, an officer who was an adept in such degree 
of military science as he was called upon to use in the ordinary 
discharge of his duties, who was cool, intelligent, impartial, 
and possessed of a good voice (one of the important require- 
ments), did not fail of appreciation, though a stern disciplin- 
arian and sometimes severe in his methods. 

The explanation of this feeling, apart from the common in- 
stincts of humanity, was very simple. The rank and file of the 
volunteer service were the embodiment of Kossuth's terse 
apothegm, " In this country, bayonets think." These men had 
become soldiers knowing that privation, hardships, and very 
likely death were before them; but they held their lives too 
valuable to feel reconciled that they should be wasted through 
the incompetence of their officers. " He can handle us when 
we get into battle," was one of the highest compliments that an 
enlisted man could pay to his commander of any grade, and 
that feeling offset many an experience which otherwise would 
have been unbearable. 

What touching scenes were those which witnessed the de- 
parture of the volunteers for the "seat of war," and how the 
memory of them still lingers! The last days in camp were full 
of interesting scenes; the visits of friends to speak the final 
farewells, of other kind souls, interested in the welfare of 
" our boys " who were going forth on so sacred a mission, anx- 
ious to present some memento, to do something that should 
make the experience of the soldier less painful. From the gifts 
of friends, in addition to the provision made by the soldier him- 
self for his comfort, the knapsacks of the outgoing volunteers 
became something wonderful to behold. It was a bright au- 



472 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

tumn day when the regiment left Camp Briggs, and the march 
to the village, where the formal words of farewell were spoken 
and cars were taken, was not long; but short as was the 
journey and favorable as was the day, many a poor fellow, 
staggering under his burden, anxious on that proud day to 
make the best and most soldierly appearance possible, found 
that he had vastly overtaxed his powers with the multitude of 
" necessaries" which he was undertaking to carry. 

Like other days which had witnessed the departure of our 
volunteers, this 7th of September, 1862, was a memorable day 
— filled with patriotic pride, mingled with hope and that inex- 
pressible dread and foreboding which the scene could but 
awaken. How densely the streets of Pittsfield were packed 
on that Sabbath day, not only with its own citizens but with 
those of all the country about who had come down to see " our 
regiment " and to speak a last good-by. Then the great train 
of twenty-seven cars rolled away westward, leaving behind the 
friends and acquaintances, bearing its precious freight among 
strangers, — but though strangers, everywhere the same inter- 
est was manifest in the passing regiment. New York city gave 
an ovation as hearty and a feast as sumptuous as though the 
volunteers had been their own. The national colors — the red, 
white and blue — were everywhere, worn by young and old, 
kindly dames and blooming maidens, white-haired men and 
impulsive boys. Wherever the regiment came in contact with 
the citizens, or wherever there was opportunity for the expres- 
sion of regard, the same feeling was manifested; nowhere, of 
course, quite so ardently as in Philadelphia, — that city of 
Brotherly Love through which during all the war no loyal 
soldier passed, by day or by night, without a bountiful repast 
served by the tireless men and women of that city. Even Bal- 
timore, not quite recovered from its sullen hostility, and doubt- 
less hoping great things from Lee's army, then in Maryland, 
had loyal citizens enough to give the various regiments gener- 
ous treatment. 

With all these exhibitions of kindness and that unflagging 
interest which lined the streets till past the midnight hour with 
citizens of all classes to give the soldier boys a hearty god-speed, 
it was a natural expectation that when the National Capital 
should be reached the reception must be something grand. 
The reality was terribly disappointing. The train deposited its 



• BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 473 

load at the outskirts of the city in a drizzling rain, and after 
waiting a while the command was directed to proceed to a 
"Soldiers' Retreat," or something of that sort, not far away for 
supper. Canteens and haversacks were emptied that they might 
be filled anew with the plenteous supply which was no doubt 
waiting, and then the line moved to its destination. The sur- 
roundings were not inviting. If the city of Washington had 
any board of health, its " smelling committee" certainly hadn't 
been in that neighborhood. Supper was ready when the hungry 
men filed into the vast building. And such a supper-^-in con- 
trast to recent experiences! A slice of bread, a piece of meat 
and a cup of coffee beside each tin plate constituted the bill of 
fare. The bread was passable; the meat might have been some- 
time — its strongest appeal wasn't to the sense of taste. As 
for the coffee, the less said the better. The broth from that 
meat was evidently one of the principal ingredients; of what 
else it was composed no one took a second taste to determine. 

After supper the regiment was quartered in some barracks 
close by, — a large structure in whose vast expanse that regiment 
of more than a thousand men seemed to dwindle into insignifi- 
cance. One corner was set apart for its occupancy, and into 
that space the officers and men closed in mass — and a pretty 
compact mass it seemed, too. However, there was a reason- 
able amount of room, and stretching themselves upon the floor 
the men were soon comfortably (?) disposed for the night. But 
who ever knew the first disposition of a military body to re- 
main unchanged over night? Other troops were coming in, a 
heavy rain-storm prevailed, and when the rest of the immense 
shed had been filled the 37th was tersely informed that it must 
contract itself into half the space then occupied to make room 
for another regiment. So the men rose to their feet, not very 
cheerfully, huddled together about as closely as they could 
stand, and the manner in which the rest of the night was 
passed in the midst of that steaming mass of water-soaked 
humanity may be imagined. 

In the morning before setting out to cross the Potomac to the 
first regular encampment on Arlington Heights, and on the way 
there, the first impressions of the national seat of government 
deepened. There were evidences on every hand of what bloody, 
relentless war meant. The long streets seemed lined with the 
offices of surgeons, undertakers, and embalmers. Coffins, arti- 



474 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



ficial limbs, and the like ghastly articles greeted the eye 
wherever it turned. Here and there an ambulance drove care- 
fully along the street, giving unmistakable evidence of its con- 
tents; an old army wagon was toiling along here and there; there 
were soldiers to be seen — too many of them — all without excep- 
tion were wounded, bandaged invalids, or the more pitiable 
looking fever patients creeping about the streets with the 
shadow of death darkening their wan visages. It was to repair 
the dreadful waste of which these were the visible evidences 
that the bright-faced, healthful boys and strong young men 
from the hills of Berkshire and the Connecticut valley were go- 
ing forth. The soldier realized now, as he had not done before, 
that he was no longer a freeman, an individual, an important 
personage of greater or less degree — he had surrendered all this 
with his citizenship in becoming a soldier, an atom in that 
great mass of organized humanity that was to surge and dash 
for almost three years more against armed rebellion, till that 
magnificent battalion, like so many another, should be reduced 
to a mere handful of bronzed, scarred, war-hardened veterans; 
but also till the authority of the government should be fully 
reasserted, the cause of the war forever removed, and there 
should be a reunited country beneath the flag of the Union. 



"fe"!" 



-^W 



-4-^ 



Confederate Brisrade Driven by a 
Siuffle Keiiiment. 



Public Honor to Grant at Memphis, 
1863. 



'T^HE first time an entire rebel brig- 'pHE first public exhibition of loyalty 



ade was driven from the field by a 
single regiment, was on the third day 
of the battle of Gettysburg, when the 
1st Mich. Cavalry Regt. engaged and 
defeated Hampton's brigade. 



to the United States government on 
the part of the citizens of JMemi^his, 
Tenn., was on the 25th of August, 1863, 
when a grand entertainment was given 
to General Grant. 




\ scour? WOHDEPL ADfflTUp. 

THE MYSTERIOUS LETTERS CUT IN A BEECH TREE, 



A Treasure Discovered by the Kindly Aid of a Friendless Dog-, 
with a Beating' for His Pains. 

BV A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER. 



.%y>^^' y■t^^■''■^\^'■l^^^^■'^^^''■'^' 




. I'iEN Johnston was falling back before Sherman's 
^' advance through northern Georgia, and before the 



(SJy^^Cc) conflicts at Lost and Pine mountains, I was continu- 
ally on the front with a band of scouts. We penetrated the 
Yankee lines time after time, but always to return to head- 
quarters with the same report. Sherman had one of the 
grandest armies in the world, and he was in such strength that 
he could fight Johnston in front and pass his flanks at the same 
time. 

One day, when scouting between Marietta and the Etowah 
river, the Federal cavalry passed and cut off my retreat by 
the highways, and for six or seven hours I was obliged to 
secrete myself in a thicket. It was in leaving this hiding place 
that I caine across a dog, which was doubtless owned in the 
near vicinity, but had been frightened into the woods by the 
skirmishing. He took to me kindly, and had dogged my heels 
for half an hour, when he suddenly leaped aside and began 
pawing the ground at the foot of a large beech. I halted for a 
moment and saw that the earth was fresh, as if a grave had 
been dug. It was but natural to conclude that some one had 
been shot near by, and that his comrades had given him burial. 

Upon closely examining the tree I found the fresh-cut ini- 
tials: " D. S. G." They were not where one would have looked 
for them, but within three feet of the ground. I had no doubt 
whatever that a dead man rested there, and I picked up a club 
and drove the dog away under the impression that he was 

(475) 



476 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

hungry and determined to get at the body. I succeeded after 
a couple of days in getting back into the Confederate lines, 
and the incident did not recur to me for long years. 

One summer's day in 1870, while I was going from Rome to 
Cartersville, I formed the acquaintance of a stranger who gave 
his name as Charles Gaines, and who claimed to be a Virginian. 
He said he was looking for improved land, and had been 
advised to locate near Marietta. This story was straight 
enough, except that I did not believe he was a Virginian. He 
hadn't the look nor the dialect, and when I came to quiz him 
about certain locations around Richmond he soon became con- 
fused. 

I was then a detective in the employ of several railroad lines, 
and it was only natural for me to ask myself why this man had 
lied to me. I took pains to let him know that I was willing to 
answer all his questions, and directly he began asking about 
the section of country between Marietta and Etowah. He 
wanted to know the value of land; if much forest had been 
cleared since the war; if there had been any finds of treasure 
around Marietta, and various other things. He worked the 
answers out of me without seeming to be more than generally 
interested, and while I was somehow suspicious of him, I could 
not exactly determine on what to place my finger. But he had 
lied. Why? I kept asking myself this question, but could not 
answer it. 

He had a ticket to Cartersville, and before we reached that 
place I had made up my mind to go on with him to Marietta. 
What decided me was this: He sat on the outside of the seat, 
and a passenger going to the water-cooler knocked his hat off. 
It rested for a moment in the aisle, and I plainly read the 
name " Boston " inside in gilt letters. The name of the maker 
was above it, but I could not catch it. No hat sold in Rich- 
mond would bear the name of Boston. Where did he get it? 
By and by I made a careful examination of his boots. He never 
bought them south of the Ohio. I decided the same in regard 
to his clothing. He was trying to deceive me. What object 
could behave in view? 

When we reached Marietta, both of us went to the same 
hotel. I thought he began to fight shy of me and I took pains 
to keep out of his way. During the evening he asked several 
townspeople in regard to the country north of Marietta, and 



♦ BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 477 

engaged of a livery man a saddle horse for next day. I did a 
heap of thinking that night over the stranger's case, but when 
morning came I was none the wiser for it. His horse was brought 
around after breakfast and he rode off. I was tempted to get 
another and follow him, but by what right? What had he done 
or what was he going to do? I went up to my room on an errand, 
not yet decided whether to go or stay, and in the hallway my 
foot struck a memorandum book. I carried it into my room, 
and the first thing my eye caught was the name inside the 
cover " George Paige." It was a well-worn book, and nearly 
full of entries. Most of them seemed to relate to trips between 
Boston and Providence, but near the back end I found one 
reading: — 

About ten" miles north of Marietta, Ga.; turn to right where highway bends to 
left; go into woods about ten rods; look for twin beech tree, with initials 
" D. S. G." cut low down. 

My heart gave a jump. That was the spot where the Yankee 
cavalry run me into hiding, and these were the initials I had 
seen on the tree! Had this stranger come down to unearth a 
skeleton? I was wondering over the matter when I heard the 
clatter of hoofs and knew that he had returned. He had dis- 
covered the loss of this book. Now, then, I did what you may 
call a mean trick. I pocketed the book, got down stairs with- 
out being seen, and went to the nearest justice and demanded 
a warrant for the arrest of George Paige for robbery. Before he 
had ceased looking for his lost memorandum a constable made 
him prisoner. Meanwhile I had engaged a horse and wagon, 
borrowed an empty tea chest and a spade, and, as Paige went 
to jail, I drove out of town. I wanted to unearth that skeleton 
myself. 

It was six years since I had left it, but I had but little diffi- 
culty in finding the grave, although the beech tree had been 
cut down. Indeed, I walked almost straight to it, and, though 
the initials were indistinct, they were there as witnesses. In 
half an hour I had unearthed the "corpse." He, or it, con- 
sisted of a rotten coffee-sack wrapped around a muddy blue 
blouse, and inside the blouse were three gold watches, $420 in 
gold, $1,203 in greenbacks, half a dozen gold rings, a fine 
diamond pin, two gold bracelets, a gold-lined cup, a full set of 
cameo jewelry, a solid silver back comb, and about four pounds 



478 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



of silver spoons and forks, the whole find being worth to me 
nearly 88,000. 

The stuff had been deposited there b}^ two or three or perhaps 
half a dozen foragers, and much of it had been stolen from the 
dead on the battle fields. 

When the treasure had been secured I drove on to Carters- 
ville, and from thence sent the horse back and telegraphed to 
Paige my regrets at his situation, as I had discovered my 
mistake in accusing him. He was held a day or two and dis- 
charged. He rode out to the spot, found the treasure gone, and 
left the state without a word as to what his real errand had 
been. 



THE SOLDIER'S bAST WORD. 



By PARK BENJAMIN. 



^itflfE lay upon the battle-field, 

^^Ul Where late the crash of arms 

was heard, 
And from his pallid lips there came, 
In broken accents, one fond word. 



Alas ! what courage can advance 
Against a stoi-m of iron hail ? 

What hearts repel a fiery sleet. 

Though clad, like ancient knights, 
in mail ? 



" Mother ! " was all the soldier said, 
As, freshly from his wounded side, 

The hot blood flowed and bore away 
His life upon its crimson tide. 



He sunk beneath the waves of strife, 
Among an undistinguished train, 

Foremost upon the battle field, 
And first among the early slain. 



Bravest among the brave he rushed, 
Without a throb or thought of fear, 

And loudest 'mid the tumult pealed, 
In clarion tones, his charging cheer : 

On to the battle ! comrades, on ! 

Strike for the Union ! strike for 
fame ! 
Who lives, will win his country's 
praise, 
Who dies, will leave a glorious name. 



Dying, he turned him from the flag, 
Whose Stars and Strijies still on- 
ward waved ; 

Dying, he thought no more of fame, 
Of victory won, or country saved. 

No ! for his home and her he loved 
His sad, departing spirit sighed ; 

" IMother ! " the soldier fondly said. 
And, looking toward the North, he 
died. 



PIIRAL POSTER'S REMIFISGEIGES. 

Visit ^ of ^ President ^ Lincoln ^ to * Richmond. 

SHARP DODGE TO SOOTHE SOUTHERN FEELINGS. 



NAimOW ESCAPE FB03I A GRIEVOUS BLUNDER. 

By DAVID D. PORTER, Admiral U. S. N. 

-t^a-*-^ — 




^' 



S we lay below Richmond in the flagship Malvern, Mr. 
|5 John A. Campbell, late justice of the Supreme Court of 
the United States, sent a request to be allowed to come 
on board with General Weitzel. He wanted to call on 
the President. He came on board and spent an hour. The 
President and himself seemed to be enjoying themselves very 
much, to judge from their laughing so much. I did not go 
down to the cabin. In an hour General Weitzel and Mr. 
Campbell came on deck, asked for a boat, and were landed. I 
went down below for a moment, and the President said: "Ad- 
miral, I am sorry you were not here when Mr. Campbell was 
on board. He has gone on shore happy. I gave him a written 
permission to allow the state legislature to convene in the capi- 
tol in the absence of all other government." 

I was rather astonished at this piece of information. I felt 
that this course would bring about complications, and wondered 
how it had all come to pass. It had all been done by the smooth 
tongue (St Mr. Campbell, who had promised the President that 
if the legislature of Virginia could meet in the place wliere the 
Confederate congress had met, they would vote Virginia right 
back into the Union; that it would be a delicate compliment 
paid to Virginia, which would be appreciated, etc. Weitzel 
backed up Mr. Campbell, and the President was won over to 
agree to what would have been a most humiliating thing if it 
had been accomplished. 

(479) 



480 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

When the President told me all that had been done, and that 
General Weitzel had gone on shore with an order in his 
pocket to let the legislature meet, I merely said: "Mr. Presi- 
dent, I suppose you remember that this city is under military 
jurisdiction, and that no courts, legislature, or civil authority 
can exercise any power without the sanction of the general 
commanding the army. This order of yours should go through 
General Grant, who would inform you that Richmond was 
under martial law, and, I am sure, he would protest against 
this arrangement of Mr. Campbell." 

The President's common sense took in the situation at once. 
"Why," he said, "Weitzel made no objection, and he com- 
mands here." 

"That is because he is Mr. Campbell's particular friend," I 
said, "and wished to gratify him, and I don't think he knows 
much about anything but soldiering. General Shepley would 
not have preferred such a request." 

" Run and stop them," said the President, "and get my order 
back! Well, I came near knocking all the fat into the fire, 
didn't I?" 

To make things sure, I had an order written to General 
Weitzel, and signed by the President, as follows: "Return my 
permission to the legislature of Virginia to meet, and don't 
allow it to meet at all." There was a fruit wagon at the land- 
ing, and, giving the order to an officer, I said to him: "Jump 
into the wagon and kill the horse, if necessary, but catch the 
carriage which carried General Weitzel and Mr, Campbell, and 
deliver this order to the general." The carriage was caught 
before it reached the city. The old fruit wagon horse had been 
a trotter in his day, and went his three minutes. The general 
and Mr. Campbell were surprised. The President's order was 
sent back, and they never returned to try and reverse the Pres- 
ident's decision. 

Mr. Campbell evidently saw that his scheme of trying to put 
the state legislature in session with the sanction of the Presi- 
dent had failed, and that it was useless to try it again. It was 
a clever dodge to soothe the wounded feelings of the South, and 
no doubt was kindly meant by the late Justice Campbell, but 
what a howl it would have raised at the North. Mr. Campbell 
had been gone about an hour when we had another remarkable 
scene. A man appeared at the landing dressed in gray home- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 481 

spun, with a somewhat decayed appearance, and with a staff 
about six feet long in his hand. It was, in fact, nothing more 
than a stick taken from a wood pile. It was two and a half 
inches in diameter, and was not even smoothed at the knots. 
It was just such a weapon as a man would pick up to kill a mad 
dog with. 

"Who are you, and what do you want?" asked the officer of 
the deck. "You cannot come on board unless you have im- 
portant business." 

"I am Duff Green," said the man; " I want to see Abraham 
Lincoln, and my business concerns myself alone. You tell 
Abraham Lincoln Duff Green wants to see him." 

The officer came down into the cabin and delivered the mes- 
sage. I rose and said, " I will go up and send him away," but 
the President said, " Let him come on board. Duff is an old 
friend of mine, and I would like to talk to him." 

I then went on deck to have a boat sent for him, and to see 
what kind of a man this was who sent off such arrogant mes- 
sages to the President of the United States. He stepped into 
the boat as if it belonged to him; instead of sitting down he • 
stood up, leaning on his long staff. When he came over the 
side, he stood on the deck defiantly, looked up at the flag and 
scowled, and then, turning to me (whom he knew very well), 
he said, "I want to see Abraham Lincoln." He paid no 
courtesy to me or to the quarter-deck. 

It had been a very long time since he had shaved or cut his 
hair, and he might have come under the head of "unkempt 
and not canny." 

"When you come," I said, "in a respectful manner the 
President will see you, but throw away that cord of wood 
yoQ have in your hand, before entering the President's pres- 
ence." 

" How long is it," said he, " since Abraham Lincoln took to 
aping royalty ? Man dressed in brief authority cuts such fan- 
tastic capers before high heaven that it makes the angels weep. 
I can expect airs from a naval officer, but I don't expect to find 
them in a man with Abraham Lincoln's horse sense." 

I thought the man crazy, and think so still. " I can't permit 
you to see the President," I said, " until I receive further in- 
structions, but you can't see him at all until you throw that 
wood pile overboard." 

31 



482 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

He turned on his heel and tried to throw the stick on shore, 
but it fell short, and went floating down with the current. 

"Ah!" he said, "has it come to that? Is he afraid of assassi- 
nation? Tyrants generally get into that condition." 

I went down and reported this queer customer to the Presi- 
dent, and told him I thought the man crazy, but he said: "Let 
him come down; he always was a little queer. I shan't mind 
him." Mr. Duff Green was shown into the cabin. The President 
got up from his chair to receive him, and approaching him, 
offered him his hand. " No," said Green, with a tragic air, " it 
is red with blood; I can't touch it. When I knew it, it was an 
honest hand. It has cut the throats of thousands of my people, 
and their blood which now lies soaking in the ground cries 
aloud to heaven for vengeance. I came to see you, not for 
old remembrance sake, but to give you a piece of my opinion. 
You won't like it, but I don't care, for people don't generally 
like to have the truth told them. You have come here, pro- 
tected by your army and navy, to gloat over the ruin and 
desolation you have caused. You are a second Nero, and, 
had you lived in his day, you would have fiddled while Rome 
was burning! " 

When the fanatic commenced this tirade of abuse, Mr. Lin- 
coln was standing with his hand outstretched, his mouth 
wreathed with the pleasant smile he almost always wore, and 
his eyes lighted up as when anything pleased him. He was 
pleased because he was about to meet an old and esteemed 
friend, and better pleased that he had come to see him of his 
own accord. 

Mr. Lincoln gradually withdrew his outstretched hand as 
Duff Green started on his talk, the smile left his lips as the 
talker got to the middle of his harangue, and the softness of 
his eyes faded out. He was another man altogether. 

Had any one shut his eyes after Duff Green commenced 
speaking, and opened them when he stopped, he would have 
seen a perfect transformation. His slouchy position had disap- 
peared, his mouth was compressed, his eyes were fixed, and he 
looked four inches taller than usual. 

Duff Green went on without noticing the change in the Presi- 
dent's manner and appearance. "You came here," he con- 
tinued, "to triumph over a poor conquered town, with only 
women and children in it, whose soldiers have left it and would 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 483 

rather starve than see your hateful presence here; those sol- 
diers — and only a handful at that — who have for four years 
defied your paid mercenaries on these glorious hills, and have 
taught you to respect the rights of the South. You have given 
your best blood to conquer them, and now you will march back 
to your demoralized capital and lay out your wits to win them 
over, so that you can hold this government in perpetuit}^ 
Shame on you! Shame on " 

Mr. Lincoln could stand it no longer; his coarse hair stood on 
end, and his nostrils dilated like those of an excited race-horse. 
He stretched out his long right arm, and extended his lean fore- 
finger until it almost touched Duff Green's face. He made one 
step forward to place himself as near as possible to this vituper- 
ator, and, in a clear, cutting voice, addressed him. 

He was really graceful while he was speaking — the grace 
of one who is expressing his honest convictions. "Stop, 
you political tramp," he exclaimed; "you, the aider and 
abettor of those who have brought all this ruin on your 
country, without the courage to risk your person in de- 
fense of the principles you profess to espouse, A fellow wlio 
stood by to gather up the loaves and fishes, if any should fall 
to you. A man who had no principles in the North, and who 
took none South with him, A political hyena, who robbed the 
graves of the dead, and adopted their language as his own I 
You talk of the North cutting the throats of the Southern peo- 
ple. You have all cut your own throats, and unfortunately 
have cut many of those of the North. Miserable impostor, vile 
intruder, go, before I forget myself, and the high position I 
hold. Go, I tell you, and don't desecrate this national vessel 
another minute! " And he made a step toward him. 

This was something which Duff Green had not calculated 
upon; he had never seen Abraham Lincoln in anger. His 
courage failed him, and he turned and fled out of the cabin, 
and up the cabin stairs as if the avenging angel was after him. 
He never stopped until he reached the gangway, and there he 
stood looking at the shore, seemingly measuring the distance, 
to see if he could swim to the landing. 

I was close behind him, and when I got on deck, I said to the 
officer in charge, "Put that man on shore, and if he appears in 
sight of this vessel while we are here, have him sent away with 
scant ceremony." 



484 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

He was as humble at that moment as a whipped dog, and 
hurried into the boat. The last I saw of him he was striding 
rapidly over the fields, as if to reach the shelter of the woods. 
The man must have been deranged. When I returned to the 
cabin, about fifteen minutes later, the President was perfectly 
calm — as if nothing had happened— and did not return to the 
subject for some hours. Neither did I. 

"This place seems to give you annoyance, sir," said I. 
"Would you prefer to get under way and go to City Point, 
where we are more among friends than here?" 

"Yes," he answered, "let us go. I seem to be ' putting my 
foot into it' here all the time. Bless my soul, how Seward 
would have preached and read Puffendorf, Vattel, and Grotius 
to me, had he been here when I gave Campbell permission to 
let the legislature meet; I'd never have heard the last of it. 
Seward is a small compendium of international law himself, 
and laughs at my 'horse sense,' which I pride myself on, and 
yet I put my foot into that thing about Campbell with my eyes 
wide open. If I were you, I don't think I would repeat that 
joke yet awhile. People might laugh at you for knowing so 
much, and more than the President. I am afraid that the most 
of my learning lies in my heart more than in my head." 

We got under way and steamed down the river. While I 
had been up at Richmond, the gunboat people had completely 
removed all the torpedoes from the bed of the river, and laid 
them all out on the banks, where they looked like so many 
queer fish basking in the sun. They were of all sizes, and some 
were as large as small alligators, which is rather an incompre- 
hensible description of them. 

The President had originally proposed to come up on horse- 
back, but I told him that "there was not a particle of dan- 
ger from torpedoes; that I would have them all taken up." 
When he saw them all on the bank, he turned to me and said: 
"You must have been 'awful afraid' of getting on that ser- 
geant's old horse again to risk all this." We got down safe, 
however. There was not enough danger to make it interesting. 
The President had some quaint remarks about everything we 
saw, particularly about Dutch Gap, which he said " ought to 
have been commenced before the war, at least ten years." 
" Then," he said, "you might have had a chance of getting 
your gunboats up that way. By the way, your friend, the gen- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 485 

eral, wasn't a ' boss ' engineer. He was better at running cot- 
ton mills. How many people did it cost for that jetty he con- 
quered? " 

"One hundred and forty killed there," I said, "as far as I 
can learn." 

Then he went into a discussion of the generals of the war — 
what difficulties he had in making appointments, etc. He il- 
lustrated each case with a story. In speaking of one general, 
he said it reminded him of a friend of his — a blacksmith — he 
knew out in the West when he was a boatman. This old friend 
was celebrated for making good work, especially axes, which 
were in great demand in that day. No boatmen had a complete 
outfit unless he had a good axe. 

"One day," said the President, "he said tome: 'Lincoln, I 
have the finest piece of steel you ever saw; I got it on purpose 
to make an axe for you, and if you will sit down and tell me a 
good story, you shall have the axe when it is finished.' 'Go 
ahead,' I said, and I sat down to tell the story while he made 
the axe. 

" My friend the blacksmith first put on a huge piece of fresh 
coal, and blew it up until it was at a proper heat, — the coals 
glowing, — then he took up the piece of steel and looked at it 
affectionately, patted it all over, then 'Lincoln,' he said, 'did 
you ever see a piece of steel equal to that? It'll make you a 
companion you will never want to part with, and when you 
are using it you'll think of me.' Then he put it into the fire and 
began to work his bellows while I commenced my story. He 
blew and blew until the steel was at a deep, red heat, when, 
taking it out of the fire and laying it on the anvil, he gave it a 
clip with a four pound hammer. Lord bless you, how the 
sparks flew, and big red scales also! The blacksmith hit it 
about a dozen blows and then stopped. 'Lincoln,' he said, 
' here's a go, and a bad one, too. This lump of steel ain't worth 
the powder that would blow it up. I never was so deceived in 
anything in all my life. It won't make an axe. But I'll tell you 
what it will make. It will make a clevis,' and he put it in the 
fire again, and went through the same performance as before. 
Then, when it was heated, he laid it on the anvil, and commenced 
to hammer it. The sparks flew, and so did the scales, and in a 
minute half of it was gone. The blacksmith stopped and 
scratched his head, as men often do under difficulties. 'Well,' 



486 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

he said, 'this certainly is an onery piece of steel, but it 
may get better nearer the heart of it. I can't make a clevis of 
it but it will make a clevis bolt. It may have some good in it 
yet. After all a good clevis bolt is not a bad thing.' 

" He put it into the fire again, and this time got it to a white 
heat. ' I think I have it now, Lincoln,' and he pounded away 
at it until I was almost blinded with scales. 

" ' This won't do,' he said. ' I certainly don't know my trade 
to allow a d — d thing like that to fool me so. Well, well, it 
won't make a clevis bolt, but I have one resort yet; it will make 
a tenpenny nail. You will have to wait for your axe,' and he 
put the metal into the fire again. 

"This time he didn't blow it; he let it get red-hot naturally, 
and, when it was as he wanted it, he put it on the anvil again. 

" ' This,' he said, ' is a sure thing. I am down to the heart of 
the piece. There must be a tenpenny nail in this.' But he was 
mistaken; there was only a small piece of wire left. He was 
actually dazed. 

" ' Durn the thing,' said he. ' I don't know what to make of 
it. I tried it as an axe; it failed me. Then it failed me as a 
clevis. It failed me as a clevis bolt, and the cussed thing 
wouldn't even make a tenpenny nail! But I'll tell you, old fel- 
low, what it will make,' and he put it in the fire again until it 
and the tongs were at white heat. Then, turning around he 
rammed it into a bucket of water. 'There, durn you, you'll 
make a big fizzle, and that's all you will make!' and it splut- 
tered and fizzed until it went out, and there was nothing of it 
left. 

"Now, that's the case with the person I was speaking of," 
continued the President. " I tried him as an axe. I tried him 
as a clevis. He was so full of shakes he wouldn't work into 
one. I tried him as a clevis bolt. He was a dead failure, and he 
wouldn't make even a tenpenny nail. But he did make the big- 
gest fizzle that has been made this war, and fizzled himself out 
of the army. 

" With a shocking bad manner 
And his credit at zero, 
He was contented to stay 
At home as a hero ! " 

We anchored a short time afterwards, and were glad to be 
looking on the quiet wharves at City Point. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 487 

That evening the sailors and marines were sent out to guard 
and escort in some prisoners, who were placed on board a large 
transport lying in the stream. 

There were about a thousand prisoners, more or less. 

The President expressed a desire to go on shore. I ordered 
the barge and went with him. We had to pass the transport 
with the prisoners. They all rushed to the side with eager 
curiosity. All wanted to see the northern President. They 
were perfectly content. Every man had a hunk of meat and 
a piece of bread in his hand, and was doing his best to dispose 
of it. 

"That's Old Abe," said one in a low voice. "Give the old 
fellow three cheers," said another, while a third called out, 
"Hello, Abe! your bread and meat is better than pop-corn." 

It was all good natured, and not meant in unkindness. I 
could see no difference between them and our own men, except 
that they were ragged and attenuated for want of wholesome 
food. They were as happy a set of men as ever I saw. They 
could see their homes looming up before them in the distance, 
and knew that the war was over. 

" They will never shoulder a musket again in anger," said the 
President, " and if Grant is wise he will leave them their guns 
to shoot crows with — it would do no harm." 



Running the Batteries at Vicksburg. 



WE first really obtained possession 
of the Mississippi when Admiral 
Porter's fleet ran past the batteries at 
Vicksburg. 



First Armed Regiment at Washington. Gen. Phil. Kearney's Honor. 



^IIE first fully armed regiment to |g.EN". PHIL KEARNEY was the 

enter Washington when it was be- first American officer ever decorated 

leaguered by the rebels in 1861, was with the Legion of Honor by the Em- 

the 6th Mass., Colonel Jones. peror Napoleon. 



488 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



INTERESTINO WAR RELIC. 
A Stvorcl Returned to its Owner After Twenty-Two Years. 



,3% EAR the close of the battle of 
Ball's Bluff, October, 21, 1861, 

c5 1st Lieut. J. Evarts Greene of 
the 15th Mass., found himself sur- 
rounded by the enemy so that to fight 
longer was useless, and to run away 
impossible. At this moment a gray 
coated gentlemen stepped forward, and, 
raising his cap courteously, said : " I 
am Captain Singleton of the loth Miss. 
I must ask you to surrender." Mr. 
Greene returned the salute, mentioned 
his name and rank, and handed Cap- 
tain Singleton his sword. Two young- 
men of Captain Singleton's company 
were then directed to take Lieutenant 
Greene to the rear. They escorted him 
to Leesburg, about four miles distant, 
chatting pleasantly by the way, for 
they were very obliging and friendly 
young fellows, and some hours later all 
the prisoners taken that day started 
from Leesburg for Centreville under a 
guard commanded by Captain Single- 
ton, who showed to them all possible 
civility and kindness while they were 
under his care. On arriving at Centre- 
ville he turned over his prisoners to 
the officer designated by General Beau- 
regai'd to receive them, and they saw 
him no more. Captain Singleton had 
been a member of Congress for three 
terms before the war. Soon after this 
time he retired from the army and en- 
tered the Confederate Congress. AVhen 
Mississippi was thought to be suf- 
ficiently reconstructed to be entitled 
again to representation in the national 
government. Captain Singleton, or 
Hon. Otho R. Singleton as he should 
now be called, was elected to the House 



of Representatives, and has been re- 
elected to successive Congresses since. 
Mr. Greene has had some correspond- 
ence with him, and, when visiting 
Washington in January last, had a 
most agreeable interview with his 
former captor, who seemed inclined to 
make up by the warmth of his present 
friendship for the conditions of formal 
enmity under which they had first met. 
Of course the circumstances of their 
meeting were recalled, and Mr. Single- 
ton expressed his intention to return 
the sword which Mr. Greene had sur- 
rendered more than twenty-one years 
ago. On Tuesday the sword arrived 
by express addressed to Senator Hoar, 
who had already received the following 
letter : — 

Washington, D. C, March 24, 1883. 
Hon. Geokge F. Hoak:— 

Mil Dear Sir: — I have taken the liberty of 
sending to your address by express to-day a 
United States sword belonging to Major Greene, 
who visited you at Washington the past winter. 
I failed to obtain his address when here, and 
beg to trouble you to see that he gets it. This 
sword was surrendered to me by Major Greene, 
immediately after the battle of Ball's Blutf, in 
Virginia. My earnest desire has ever been to 
return it to its owner, and assure him of my 
great respect for him as a citizen and soldier. 

Most truly yours, O li. Singllton. 

Mr. Singleton has been kind enough to 
promote Captain Greene one grade, but 
otherwise his letter calls for no further 
remark. The sword has suffered no 
damage, and is entirely fit for further 
service, but its owner hopes that it 
will never be drawn on another battle 
field. It will not, however, be beaten 
into a ploughshare, nor worked up into 
steel pens. 



IN KOUR CMAF-TERS. 

A STRANGE CELEBRATION BY PRISONERS OF WAP. 



A Banquet Under Difficulties and What it Cost. 



SEEKINQ SANTA CLAUS IN PRISON WALLS. 

By FRANK A. BURR. 



*f rl'TAMMA, do you know that it's only two weeks till Christ- 
I mas! I wonder if Nadiue will be well then? Oh! if 
|J^ she only was well and papa would come home, what a 
beautiful Christmas we would have!" 

A little twelve-year old girl uttered these words, almost in a 
breath, and the mother, who sat in another part of the room, 
by the bedside of a pretty child some four years younger, had 
no chance to respond. The girl who wished so earnestly for 
her sister's recovery and for her father's return, stood looking 
out of the window, watching the fast falling snowflakes that 
were being piled into great drifts by the driving wind. Her 
long, dark hair fell carelessly over her shoulders, and a few 
becoming curls fringed the broad forehead that crowned 
rather a striking face. 

It was near the end of one of the most eventful years of the his- 
tory of the republic. It was in December, 1863. Vicksburg had 
fallen. The billows of angry war rolling up from Virginia had 
been broken at Gettysburg, and turned southward again by the 
splendid bulwark of Union arms. But the dark clouds of a des- 
perate conflict yet darkened the skies of the land, and the fierce 
clash of sword and musket still drowned the voices of peace. 
Thousands of homes were wrapt in sadness and mourning for 
their absent ones. The approach of Christmas-tide, usually 
so full of joy and merriment, brought to the hearthstones of the 

(489) 



490 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

nation, only a vision of the old-time happiness in a troubled 
dream of war and death. 

It was in a quiet, simple home, not far from Syracuse, N. Y., 
that the scene mentioned in the opening lines of this sketch 
occurred. It was the counterpart of thousands of others in 
every part of the land, in which the little ones, unable to 
understand the strange ways of men, looked forward to the 
holiday time with wistful longing for the return of the absent. 
The snow kept on falling, as if it would gladly cover with a 
spotless mantle all the wounds strife had made. The little girl 
still stood at the window looking out upon the dreary scene 
before her, while her mother sat by the bedside of her sick 
child. Suddenly she left the scene without, and, walking 
slowly over to her mother, took a seat at her feet. She was 
silent a moment, as if in deep thought, and then looking up 
said, almost appealingly: — 

'' Mamma, why do men go to war?" 

" My child, men go to war for great principles. You would 
not understand if I told you. Your father went to battle for 
his country because he loved you and me. It was his duty. 
Don't be sad, darling, he will think of us at Christmas, even if 
he isn't with us." 

"Yes, I know he will, but it is so hard to be without him. 
But we'll think of him, won't we?" replied the child, and then, 
as if visited by a sudden inspiration, she said: "Why, 
mamma, I'll write him a letter and tell him how much we 
miss him, and in it I'll ask him to come home for Christmas." 

The little girl stole away from the sick room and wrote the 
letter. It was a child's message to a father. It told of Nadine's 
illness and breathed hope for her recovery. It pictured the 
loneliness of the household, the mother's anxiety, the dreari- 
ness of winter, and the longing for the return of papa. The 
missive was sent on its way to reach the father the day before 
the child so longed for him to come home. 



II. 
Christmas Eve in Prison. 
It was Christmas eve, the close of a dreary, desolate day. 
Even to those who were free to come and go at will, the dull, 
cloudy sky was gloomy and dispiriting, and cast a shade of mel- 
ancholy over what ought to be the most joyous festival in all the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 491 

year. To the nine hundred and fifty Union officers confined in 
Libby prison, and the thousands of private soldiers that were 
huddled together at Belle Isle, on the banks of the James river, 
just beyond the city of Richmond, the occasion was doubly dis- 
mal. The afternoon was fast running on toward the gloaming, 
when Dick Turner, the keeper of Libby, appeared with the mail, 
for which every prisoner had been longing for weeks. The letters 
were quickly distributed, and it was not long before the eager 
ones who had received them were sitting apart in different 
parts of the building, greedily reading the news from home. 
Almost a dead silence prevailed. The time was a solemn one. 
The realization of having to spend the happiest and holiest of all 
holidays in a prison pen, remote from the hearthstone and its 
loved ones, was sharpened and made keener than ever by the 
arrival of those tender messages from home. An hour went by, 
and most of the fortunate ones had read their letters, folded 
them away to be read again to-morrow, and were walking about 
or engaged in quiet conversation to distract their minds from 
the thoughts of home and Christmas eve. One jovial 
spirited fellow, who had helped to cheer scores of gloomy 
hearts in camp and on the march, and afterward in prison, 
walking down the long room of the prison, spied a friend 
sitting, gloomy and silent, a-part from every one. His chin 
rested on his right palm and his elbow was supported 
by his knee. His head was bowed low, and in his left hand, 
with outstretched arm, a white letter was clutched. He was 
the image of sorrow and despair. The merry hearted prisoner 
approached, slapped him on the back, and exclaimed: — 

"Come, Rocky, old boy, don't be so sad. Cheer up. Remem- 
ber this is Christmas eve." Lieutenant Rockwell, of the 97th 
New York infantry, looked up at his friend, but for a minute 
did not speak. Then, with an effort, as if choking back his 
emotions, he handed him the letter he held in his hand and 
said: — 

"Colonel, read that." 

The speaker rose and the two men walked slowly to a 
window inside of the building overlooking the James river. 
Twilight was fast approaching, and the shadows were just 
beginning to settle over the scene. In the distance, a long, low 
ridge of hills lifted themselves up against the sky, like sentinels 
guarding the prison from the armed hosts which lay beyond. 



492 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

The two men stood in the window. Just below rolled the James 
on its way to the sea, and the James river canal almost touched 
the base of the prison walls. About them murmured the soft 
winds of evening, breathing suggestions of liberty and peace in 
distant homes. In the fast fading light of this lonely Christ- 
mas eve the lieutenant's friend read the letter. This is what it 

said: — 

December 11, 1863. 

Dear, Dear Papa: — It was snowing so hard to-day I couldn't go to school, 
and so I staid at home with mannna and Nadine. Poor little thing, she has been 
very sick, but she's getting a little better now. You would hardly know her, 
papa, she looks so thin and pale. Once this afternoon, when I went over to the 
bed, she put her little white liands up to my face and looked up to me with her 
big blue eyes, which look bigger than ever since she has been sick, and said: 
*' I love you, Clara ; you look so much like papa. Poor, dear papa, I wonder if 
he will ever come home? " And then she said : " I wonder why he stays away 
so long?" I couldn't answer her, papa, and I had to goto the window and look 
out at the drifting snow to hide my tears. When mamma came in, I sat down by 
her side and asked her what she meant when she said you were a prisoner of 
war. She told me, but I can't understand why they should keep you so long. 
It's a great while since we have seen you, and it seems so hard that you should 
be kept away from us. It's almost Christmas, pajia. Please do come home by 
that time. It will make us all so happy, for we love you very dearly. Christ- 
mas isn't half so nice without you, papa. Ask them to let you come home, just 
for Christmas. I know thej' won't refuse you. I can't write any more now, and 
the only wish we all have is that you may come home, and you will, won't you ? 
Every night when I kneel down to say my prayers I ask the good Lord to keep 
you safe and let you come home to us. So does mamma, too; and even Nadine 
doesn't forget you in her simple prayers. We shall watch and wait for you till 
Christmas. We all send lots of love, and will be so happy when you come 
home. Your loving daughter, Clara. 



III. 

A Christmas Eve Tragedy. 
The colonel could not repress the tears which filled his eyes 
as he finished reading the child's simple letter. He folded it, 
replaced it in its tiny envelope, and handed it back to the lieu- 
tenant, who stood silent and motionless beside him. It had just 
been placed carefully in the owner's pocket, and the two men 
were standing, looking out upon the scene, neither caring to 
break the silence first. A cry of terror from beneath relieved 
them of the suspense, and, looking down, they saw that the 
fragile ice on the canal had given way beneath the feet of the 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 493 

skaters on its surface, and six of the pleasure seekers, all chil- 
dren, were struggling in its waters. The scene was an appall- 
ing one. The cries of the helpless children fighting for life in 
the dark, icy waters of the canal, and the shouts of the excited 
throng along the banks, brought to the windows of the prison 
nearly one thousand brave-hearted men, whose hands would have 
been quick to save had they been free to act. But the harsh de- 
cree of war rose like an impassable barrier between them and 
the duty they would gladly have done for humanity, and they 
stood on the walls helpless, idle and mute, watching the fierce 
struggle below. An interval of confusion and suspense, and 
five of the imperiled skaters were safely rescued. The sixth, a 
fair-haired, manly little fellow, was taken from the water stiff 
and cold, and laid tenderly upon the bank to await identifica- 
tion. Suddenly a wild cry startled the throng gathered on the 
banks of the canal, as well as those in the prison, and a woman 
with flashing eye and disheveled hair, rushed through the 
crowd crying: "My child! my child! Give me my child!" 

The drowned boy was her child. She instinctively ran to the 
spot where his body lay, and the crowd fell back to let her 
pass. With one long, low moan, she clutched the rigid form to 
her'breast, speaking to it in endearing words, and trying by all 
the means known to motherhood, to warm it into life again. As 
the twilight faded into the gloaming, the dead boy was carried 
tenderly away to his home, followed by the heartbroken 
mother, and the lights of Christmas eve began to twinkle in 
the windows of the city. To the strong men who had been 
compelled to stand helpless and view it, the scene of death 
and sorrow just described was almost a torture. After it 
was all over, they turned to the quiet of the prison, and most 
of them sat speechless or discussed in low voice the sad 
occurrence. Each man seemed to have partaken of the sad- 
ness of the scene he had witnessed, and the gloom of the hour 
was made deeper still by the thoughts which it suggested. 
Hardly a man spoke aloud. The silence was like death. It 
was painful in its intensity. Unable to endure the terrible 
monotony any longer, some one finally rose, and, walking 
hastily across the fioor, exclaimed: — 

"For God's sake, men, let's do something to break this 
monotony. It will drive us mad," Then turning to a fellow 
prisoner he said: " McCauley, sing for us." 



494 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

McCauley was an assistant engineer in the navy, who had 
been captured in a naval engagement some months before. He 
had an excellent voice, and had often whiled away many an 
hour with his songs, and had done niuch to sustain the spirits 
of his companions in prison, A hundred other voices united in 
the request. He sang for them the first stanza of " Rock Me 
to Sleep, Mother." 

The tender words of the simple old ballad, pouring out upon 
the quiet air of the night, touched the heart-strings of every 
man. One verse was enough. The private soldiers confined as 
prisoners in Pemberton's warehouse, just across the street, had 
caught the strains of McCauley's voice, and one of them called 
to the singer: 

" Officer, for God's sake, don't sing another line of that 
song." 

The request was seconded by half a thousand others, and the 
pathetic w^ords of the ballad, which had brought tears to count- 
less eyes that had seen the flash of cannon and the gleam of 
bayonet without flinching, were left unsung. But the song 
had broken the spell which hung over the jjrison, and the men 
became gay in spite of their gloomy surroundings. A dance 
was suggested, and soon tlie orchestra, led by Lieutenant 
Chandler of a West Virginia regiment, struck up, and the 
shuffle of a thousand feet beat time to the notes of the quadrille 
and waltz. A minstrel performance followed later in the even- 
ing, given by a company of officers who had organized their musi- 
cal forces into an excellent orchestra and glee club. When the 
entertainment was concluded, dancing was resumed, and the 
fun began anew. It was a stag party, probably the most novel 
ever given to the world, hundreds of officers dancing the Vir- 
ginia reel by the dim, flickering lights of a few old lamps in a 
gloomy prison in a hostile city on Christmas eve. The atmos- 
phere changed easily in the evening, and the dreariness and 
silence of the twilight gave way to merry making, wild enough 
in its character to contrast strongly with the utter loneliness of 
its surroundings. Far into the night, old men and young 
romped, and danced, and sang, and yelled like school boys at 
play, and then, when time was touching the sands with the 
wand of a newborn day, an old, grizzled officer appeared 
among the crowd with a well-worn sock in his hand, and said: 
" Now, children, it is late, and this is Christmas eve. Hangup 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 495 

your stockings where Santa Ciaus will find, them, and go to 
bed." The suggestion was adopted, and half a thousand 
officers hung their stockings along the wall as they had in 
childhood. Libby Prison was asleep and dreaming of Santa 
Claus. 

The rollicking began with the day. Men did not care to think 
of serious things. Occasionally, when their thoughts turned 
toward home and their spirits began to wane, some new game 
would be proposed and started with a will. When the church 
bells summoned the citizens who dwelt in the capitol of the 
Confederacy to divine service, the voice of Chaplain McCabe of 
a Marj'land regiment called the rollicking prisoners to divine 
service. Morning, afternoon, and evening, the ministers who 
were also prisoners gathered their comrades together and 
invoked the divine blessing on them and the cause for which 
they were suffering. The hours between the service were filled 
full of games, pastimes and songs; to keep away the sad 
thoughts that ever and anon would come unbidden. 



IV. 

Christmas Dinner in Libby. 

The Christmas dinner was the great feature of the day, but, 
with all but a very few, there was not much to make it a meal. 
No luxuries, and, in many instances, not enough to satisfy the 
pangs of hunger, was at hand. Yet all spread their humble 
feast upon the floor, and gathered around in little knots of 
three or four, and went through the form of a Christmas feast. 
Apple butter spread on corn bread, occasionally a single potato 
or a little piece of bacon, perhaps a scrap of meat, or a chunk 
of dried beef, stood in the place of the bountifully spread table 
in their homes far away, over which was spread a shadow, 
because of the vacant chair at the family board. With these 
crude and rude necessities of life, the prisoners served to each 
other imaginary dishes of turkey and cranberry sauce, plum 
pudding and other dainties, and they laughed, joked and 
frolicked over the illusion, and got all the comfort that brave 
men possibly could out of the dispiriting surroundings. 

Perhaps ten officers out of the one thousand confined there had 
a full meal that day. They had been lucky enough to smuggle 
in a few dollars before the holidays and to have them exchanged 



496 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

for Confederate money, with which they induced the prison 
officials to purchase for them a few necessities which were 
luxuries to them. A description of one little group in the 
throng huddled into the tobacco warehouse called Libby Prison, 
is essential, as it is the groundwork of my whole story. The 
officer who presided over it is the same who read the letter from 
Lieutenant Rockwell's little daughter, and who now, almost 
twenty years after the event, recalls the incidents here related. 

Many weeks before the holidays, he had written home, ask- 
ing that a box of eatables be sent to him. He also wanted 
money. But he could not ask for it, nor could it be sent to him 
unless concealed so as to escape the eye of the prison officials. 
The old United States notes bore the pictures of Mr. Lincoln. 
At the end of his letter he said: "Send me two of Lincoln's 
pictures.'' 

The letter reached home. An ample box was quickly pre- 
pared for him, and his mother cast about for two of President 
Lincoln's pictures to send to him. 

" It isn't pictures he wants," said his sweetheart, now his 
wife, " it is money." 

She quickly took two $10 notes, crowded them into a tiny 
druggists' vial, cut open one of the four pieces of dried beef 
that were in the box, carefully concealed it and then drew the 
meat together, and no one would have ever detected the arts 
w^oman had devised to get money to her lover. 

In due time the box and its precious contents arrived at 
Libby Prison, and finally found its way to the owner, 
after being carefully inspected by the Confederate author- 
ities. When it came to the officer's hands he quickly 
overhauled it, looking carefully into every possible and impos- 
sible place he could think of for the money he has so much 
coveted. He looked in vain and began to empty the box. He 
took the dried beef out, hung it up on the prison wall, and day 
by day disposed of it and the other contents of his box among 
his little mess. It was not all gone when the rumor came that the 
Union soldiers who were on Belle Isle were starving. The 
officers secured a parole for one of their number to go over and 
investigate. Gen. Neal Dow of Maine, the noted temperance 
advocate, was selected. He returned with a sorrowful story of 
the sufferings of the soldiers in the exposed camp on the 
opposite side of the James. He assembled the one thousand 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 497 

officers and recounted the touching story of what he had seen 
and heard there, closing his remarks witli, " For God's sake, 
gentlemen, if any of you have anything to spare, send it to 
those starving men." 

Each officer responded nobly. One by one they went to their 
scanty board, and, taking the lion's share therefrom, gladly 
contributed it to the soldiers whom Neal Dow had visited. The 
officer whose story I am writing had consumed all the contents 
of his box except three pieces of dried beef. Two of these he 
sent to the camp across the river, keeping one for himself. The 
next day he began cutting into the last piece. Two days later, 
and the day before Christmas, he was hacking away at the 
meat, getting a few chips for his dinner. The knife struck a 
hard substance. A minute later he pulled out the vial which 
loving hands had placed in this singular receptacle, and cau- 
tiously withdrew the two Lincoln pictures for which he had 
written. They had finally reached him, almost by a miracle. 

"Just in time for a Christmas dinner," was the first thought 
and exclamation. He sold one of the $10 bills for $150 Confed- 
erate money, and got the prison keeper to buy him from the 
market the materials for his contemplated feast. The next day 
Col. A. K. Dunklee, now secretary of internal affairs of Penn- 
sylvania, invited Capt. John C. Johnson, 140th Pennsylvania, 
and Lieutenant Fellows of the same regiment, to enjoy the 
good cheer with him. Here is the bill of fare and the cost of 
each item. 

One chicken, $12; one dozen eggs, $12; half pound of sugar, 
$4; a few potatoes, $3; one pound of butter, $12; total, $43. 

This spread was the envy of all the prisoners in Libby, and 
it was divided among them as far as it would go. Not a dozen 
officers had anything but prison fare. Col. J. M. Sanderson, 
commissary of subsistence on General Reynolds's staff, who had 
friends in Richmond, had a turkey sent to him — the only one in 
the prison. A Massachusetts officer, who had received a ham 
from home, and in cutting into it had found it stuffed with gold 
dollars, was also one of the fortunate ones, and had something 
that resembled a dinner in his New England home. Instances 
of this kind in this holiday dinner in Libby were not numerous, 
but they were striking. Columns might be written of the 
scenes before and after Christmas, but the plain story is the 
best. Hundreds who were there are still living, and will 

32 



498 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

recall them as though they transpired only yesterday. The 
events of that time are indelibly engraved on their memory. 

I recall the following names as those of New England men 
who were present: Col. Charles W. Tilden, 16th Maine; Lieut.- 
Col. C. Farnsworth, 1st Connecticut Cavalry; Lieut. -Col. G. 
C. Joslyn, 15th Massachusetts; Lieut. -Col. M. Nichols, ISth 
Connecticut Infantry; Maj. J. J. Edwards, 37th Massachu- 
setts; Maj. J. H. Hooper, 15th Massachusetts; Maj. J. B. Hill, 
17th Massachusetts; Maj. J. Hall, 1st Vermont Cavalry; Capt. 
C. A. Adams, 1st Vermont Infantry; E. W. Atwood, 16th 
Maine; E. D. Brown, 18th Connecticut; D. Barton, 1st Massa- 
chusetts; F. B. Doten, 18th Connecticut; H. C. Davis, 18th 
Connecticut; G. C. Davis, 4th Maine; E. Dillingham, 10th 
Vermont; W. L. Hubbell, 17th Connecticut; F. R. Josselyn, 
18th Massachusetts; R. O. Ivro, 10th Massachusetts; W. F. 
Martins, 4th Massachusetts; E, J. Matthewson, 18th Connecti- 
cut; F. H. Pillsbury, 5th Maine; F. E. Wentworth, 16th 
Maine; G. W. Warner, 18th Connecticut; Lieuts. H. M. An- 
derson, od Maine; G. C. Bleak, 3d Maine; L. C. Bisbee, 16th 
Maine; J. D. Bisbee, 16th Maine; D. S, Bartram, 17tli Connecti- 
cut; E. G. Birun, 3d Massachusetts; L. D. Comins, 17th Massa- 
chusetts; E. D. Carpenter, 18th Connecticut; H. F. Cowell, 
18th Connecticut; J. N. Childs, 16th Maine; S. E. Cary, 13th 
Massachusetts; F. C. McKeag, 18th Connecticut; R. N. Mann, 
17th Massachusetts; S. F. Merwin, 18th Connecticut; J. B. Samp- 
son, 13th Massachusetts; J. E. Woodward, 18th Connecticut; W. 
Wadsworth, 16th Maine; D. Whiston, 13th Massachusetts; J. C. 
Norcross, 2d Massachusetts Cavalry; J. B. Stevens, 5th Maine; 
M. Tiffany, 18th Connecticut; M. Tower, 18th Massachusetts; A. 
B. Rockwell, 18th Connecticut; J. H. Russell, 12th Massachusetts; 
J. Ranny, 11th Massachusetts; N. A. Robinson, 4th Maine; A. 
J. Scranton, 18th Connecticut; J. N. Whitney, 2d Rhode Island 
Cavalry; N. A. Robbins, 4th Maine; Fuller Dinley, 17th Rhode 
Island; Capt, C. Chase, 1st Rhode Island Cavalry; Capt. Julius 
Litchfield, 4th Maine: Lieut. George A. Chandler, 5th Maine, 
The names of these officers are recalled as among those who 
spent the Christmas of 1863 in Libby Prison, There may have 
been many more. The roll was a long one, and if any name 
has been omitted, the mention of which would appeal to a New 
England heart, it has been forgotten in the mist that twenty 
years have spread over the track of war. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 499 

Almost every state in the Union was represented in the crowd 
who spent the Christmas of 1863 in Libby Prison. New En- 
gland had a large number of her brave men there, as did 
Pennsylvania, New York, and other states. Lieutenant Rock- 
well, I hear, is dead. Engineer McCauley runs a boat on the 
Schuylkill, and you meet almost every day, on Washington street, 
men who were captured at Gettysburg and in other battles, and 
who spent months of 1863 as prisoners of war. Those who were 
not there or in other prisons can find in this story, from one 
who was a prisoner of war, a faithful picture of a Christmas 

in Libby Prison. 

* m * 

Gen. B. F. Butler Originated tlie First Move for Raising Volunteers. 



'pHE credit of originating the first York City (now of Washington). Cap- 
movement for the raising of vohm- tain Rutherford issued a call for a 
teers has been awarded to General But- meeting, which was held at the Mercer 
ler, who issued a call for a meeting of House in New York, on the 9th of 
the officers of the 6th Mass. Regt., January — twelve days before the meet- 
to be held at Lowell, on the 21st day of ing at Lowell — for the purpose of or- 
January, 1861 ; but the records show ganizing for the protection of the 
that the honor is justly due to Capt. United States and the enforcement of 
(General) Allen Rutherford of New the laws. 



Cavalry Charg-e at Bull Run. Com. Vanderbllt's Handsome Gift. 



¥ 



HE only cavalry charge made during gOMMODORE VAND E R B I L T'S 

the second battle of Bull Run was name stands first on the list of mag- 
made by the 1st Mich, and 4th N. Y. nificent donations to the United States 
Cavalry Regts., under the direction of government. He presented the steamer 
Gen. John Buford. Vanderbilt, which cost $800,000. 



The Last Silk Dress in the Confeder- 
acy Made into a Balloon. 



'•]|n'HE last silk dress in the Confed- 
eracy was lost when the Federals 
in 1862 captured a balloon which had 
been made of all the silk dresses to be 
found in the Confederacy. Gen. James 
Longstreet said in the Century Maga- 
zine that the capture of this balloon 
was the meanest trick of the war, and 
one he has never yet forgiven. 



500 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Drivino Homk thk Cows. 

A Reminiscence of tlie W.ar in Verse. 

tUT of the clover and blue-eyed For news had come to the lonely farm 

grass, That three were lying where two had 

He turned them into the river- lain ; 

lane ; And the old man's tremulous, palsied 

One after another he let them pass, arm 

And fastened the bars all snug again. Could never lean on a son's again. 

Under the willows and over the hill, The summer day grew cold and late, 

lie patiently followed their sober ^^^ ^^nt for the cows when the work 

trace • "^^^ ^^°"^ ' 

The merry whistle for once was still, ^"t ^^o^^'" ^^^^ l^^^^' '^^ ^^^ opened the 

And something shadowed the sunny S^^^> 

f He saw them coming one by one. 

^1 , 1 1 • r J.1 1 1 • 1 Brindle, Ebony, Speckle, and Bess, 

Only a boy ; and his father liad said o, i • , • , ' i 

^j 1 1 1 i. 1 • i bhaking their horns m tlie evening 

He never would let his youngest go i ■ ■, 

Two already were lying dead, /^ • ,' i ^ ,i 

,j , i, i-.f,!. 1- f- Cropping the buttercups out ot the 

Under the feet oi the trampling toe. no i 



grass — 
But who was it following close be- 
hind ? 



But after the evening work was done. 
And the frogs were loud in the 

meadow-swamp. Loosely swung in the idle air 

Over his shoulder he swung his gun The empty sleeve of army blue ; 

And stealthily followed the foot-path And worn and pale, from the crisping 

damp. hair, 

Looked out a face that the father 

Across the clover and through the u.,„,„ 

" ivuew. 

wheat. 

With resolute heart and purpose For southern prisons will sometimes 

grim, yawn. 

Though cold was the dew on the hur- And yield their dead unto life again, 

rying feet, And the day that comes with a cloudy 

And the blind bat's flitting startled dawn 

him. In golden glory at last may wane. 

Thrice since then had the lanes been The great tears sprung to their meeting 

white, eyes ; 

And the orchards sweet with apple For the heart must speak when the 

bloom ; lips are dumb, 

And now when the cows came back at And under the silent evening skies 

night, Together they followed the cattle 

The feeble father drove them home. home. 



LEK'S Klviai-iT A.ND THK PURSUIT. 



The Grapple at Sailor's Creek.— The Surrender at Appomattox. 




JiV SEARCH OF JOHNSTON. 

By JAIVEES L. BO'VVEN, STth IVIass. 





i# OT the Army of the Potomac alone but the whole country 
P was electrified by the tidings which that never-to-be- 
forgotten 3d of April, 1865, proclaimed to the world. 
Not only Petersburg but Richmond had been evacu- 
ated during the night: the Confederate government as well as 
Lee's army was in full flight. 

General Weitzel, whose lines faced the Richmond defenses, 
was startled by heavy explosions and volumes of black smoke 
rising from the city. A cavalry vidette was pushed forward 
which entered unopposed the city to gain which such countless 
thousands of lives had been sacrificed and planted its guidons 
on the late Confederate capitol. The retiring traitors in their 
eagerness for destruction had fired large warehouses filled with 
tobacco situated in the heart of the city; and though Weitzel's 
soldiers were at once hurried to the spot and fought the fire with 
all their power, it could not be checked till the business part of 
the city was destroyed and a vast number of people rendered 
homeless. 

General Lee on retiring from Petersburg moved north to 
Chesterfield Court House, half way to Richmond, where the 
fragments of his army from different directions concentrated, 
marching thence with all speed due west. The route led across 
the Appomattox at Goode's Bridge to Amelia Court House on 
the Danville railroad, thirty-eight miles west of Petersburg, 

(501) 



502 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

whence Lee intended to move by the railroad to Burkesville, 
twenty miles to the southwest, the crossing of the Danville and 
Southside roads. From that point he could retreat either in the 
direction of Danville or Lynchburg, prolonging the struggle in- 
definitely; but Providence decreed that the mad folly which for 
four years had reigned should come to a sudden end at last. On 
reaching Amelia, Lee found that large quantities of supplies 
which had been ordered to that place had by a misunderstand- 
ing been carried on to Richmond, and they had in fact been 
burned there with other stores. His army was consequently 
without food and was obliged to remain there during the 4th 
and 5th while numerous foraging parties were sent out in all 
directions to gather such supplies as were obtainable from the 
surrounding country. 

General Sheridan with the cavalry advance of the Union army 
gained the Danville railroad at Jetersville, some miles to the 
southwest of Lee's position, on the morning of the 4th, cutting 
off the intended retreat toward Danville. The 5th, 2d, and 
Gth Corps coming up during the following day, preparations 
were made to attack on the morning of the Gth. 

The forces from the Army of the James, under General Ord, 
followed the Southside railroad, while Sheridan's cavalry, the 
5th, 2d, and 6th Corps, in the order named, pursued the roads 
between the railway and the river. Some ten miles were made 
the first day, the march was resumed at daylight of the 4th, 
and continued with brief halts for breath till an hour after 
dark. On the morning of the 5th an order was read to each 
regiment asking the troops to cheerfully endure hardships and 
hunger if necessary in order to ensure the speedy downfall of 
the rebellion, which was greeted with cheers and followed by 
another hard day's march, the corps joining Sheridan's forces 
at Jetersville late in the evening. 

An advance was promptly made toward Amelia at daylight 
of the 6th, but it was soon evident that the prey had escaped 
during the night. Lee had in fact moved past the Union left 
flank and made a strong push for Farmville, thirty-five miles 
west, where he hoped to cross to the north side of the Appo- 
mattox and still escape to Lynchburg and the mountains be- 
yond. General Ord, whose command had reached Burkesville, 
was at once directed to move to Farmville, and sent on in ad- 
vance of his main body a light column of some five hundred men 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 503 

under Gen. Theodore Read. This little force succeeded in reach- 
ing Farmville in advance of the enemy and in checking the latter 
till General Ord arrived; but General Read was killed and his 
command nearly destroyed. 

Meantime the three infantry corps of the Army of the Poto- 
mac, preceded by cavalry, moved westward from Jetersville on 
parallel routes, the Gth Corps on the southernmost road follow- 
ing General Sheridan. At Deatonsville he began to feel the 
Confederate rear guard, fully a third of Lee's army under Gen- 
eral Ewell, which was making determined efforts to protect 
what remained of the wagon trains. Custer's cavalry division 
had succeeded by a detour in cutting off the train and its guards, 
while Sheridan pressed sharply on the rear. A running fight 
ensued for some distance, when the Confederates having reached 
favorable ground on the west side of Sailor's Creek turned upon 
their pursuers for a last desperate stand. The afternoon was 
waning, and if they could hold the Federals at bay till dusk it 
might be possible to save something from the surrounding and 
converging circle of fire. 

Never had so many miles been made with such heart as the 
seventy marched over since leaving Petersburg, and dashing 
the sweat from their faces the enthusiastic fellows began to fill 
the magazines of their rifles, to cast aside knapsacks, blankets, 
and superfluous clothing in preparation for the anticipated strug- 
gle. The men were ready to break into a run when the order 
to " double-quick " was received, and for three miles they went 
forward at a pace which nothing but the intense excitement of 
the occasion could have enabled them to sustain. 

Just where the road passed the crest of an elevation Generals 
Sheridan and Wright sat upon their horses watching on the one 
side the magnificent advance of the troops and on the other the 
scene of the coming battle. Pausing for a moment to receive a 
welcome and directions as to the placing of his command. Gen- 
eral Edwards bore straight for the battle field and his men fol- 
lowed with no slackening of speed. As they passed the crest 
the scene of strife lay spread before them like a panorama. For 
a mile a gentle open slope led down to the creek, a narrow, 
sluggish stream with marshy and bush grown banks; on the 
opposite side there was a somewhat more marked ascent, broken 
by ravines and covered vith a scattering thicket of pines and 
bushes. On the latter slope, protected by the contour of the 



504 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

ground, EwelFs lines of battle were disposed. Far beyond the 
smoke of burning wagons showed the presence and the work of 
Custer's horsemen. On the eastern side of the creek the guns 
of Sheridan's artillery had been holding the enemy to cover till 
the Union infantry could get up, 

Wheaton's and Seymour's (3d) Divisions were pushed across 
the creek, which was waist deep and difficult to ford, while 
Getty's was held in reserve on the eastern bank. 

As the foot of the ascent was reached the lines were again ad- 
justed, moved by the right flank for a short distance, and once 
more advanced up the slope. A scattering fire was immediately 
encountered from the enemy's skirmishers, and one of the first 
of the 37th to fall was 1st Sergt. Ezra P. Cowles of Co. D, which 
he commanded, Captain Edwards acting as major. Sergeant 
Cowles was mortally wounded through the body, but heroically 
cheered on his comrades as he fell. Shortly afterward as the 
regiment scrambled through the undergrowth a terrific crash 
of musketry burst from the Confederate lines but a few yards 
in front. 

Fortunately, owing to the position of the foe on somewhat 
higher ground and the impossibility of their taking proper 
aim through the thicket, what was intended for an anni- 
hilating volley at close range mostly went over our heads. 
The men pressed forward, holding their fire with wonderful 
self-control till they were in plain sight of the enemy, almost 
face to face. 

Then the Spencer rifle did the work for which it was intended. 
Volley followed volley with almost the rapidity of thought, 
tearing the opposing line into demoralized fragments. While 
some surrendered and many fell, the rest broke away and ran 
through the forest, hotly pursued by our boys. In the wild ex- 
ultation of the moment the officers did not discover that our 
regiment was alone and utterly unsupported in its advance. 
The rest of the Union line had been broken and pushed back 
temporarily by the mad onset of Ewell's corps, some of them to 
and across the creek to the shelter of Sheridan's artillery. Of 
course this temporary success of the enemy would be brief, but 
it was sufficient to place the little more than two hundred mem- 
bers of the 37th in a remarkably unpleasant position. 

The first realization of the true situation came from the dis- 
covery of what seemed to be a heavy column of the enemy 



• BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 505 

passing the left flank of the regiment. Front was changed in 
that direction and a few volleys from the Spencers drove the 
force out of sight, but not a moment too soon. Gen. Custis Lee, 
the son of the Confederate commander-in-chief, on the right of 
the 37th, saw his opportunity and moved his brigade through a 
ravine to the rear of the isolated regiment. His command in- 
cluded the famous 7th Regt. of Savannah and a battalion of 
marines from the gunboats which had been destroyed at the 
evacuation of Richmond. The latter were picked men and es- 
pecially anxious to signalize their presence on the field of 
battle. 

Captain Hopkins had barely time to face his command to the 
rear to meet this new danger when Lee's brigade burst from 
the cover of the gulch and dashed in a ferocious charge upon 
our thin line. It was the severest test to which the veteran 
regiment had ever been subjected, but it was most magnifi- 
cently met. 

Lee's wave of chivalry struck the rock of Massachusetts man- 
hood only to recoil. Both sides fought with desperate courage, 
hand to hand, with bayonets, swords, and pistols. The lines 
of Blue and Gray, half hidden in the veil of smoke, seemed to 
mingle in one mass as they swayed back and forth, and for a 
time the issue seemed in doubt. But the Men in Blue did not 
give an inch. Meeting blow with blow, loading and firing their 
deadly repeating rifles as rapidly as possible, they checked 
the onset of the enemy, held him, pushed him back, at first 
slowly and with obstinate resistance, then in a broken rout into 
the gorge from which he had emerged. 

As the disorganized Confederates took shelter in the ravine a 
sharp fire was poured in upon them, when they made signals of 
surrender. Adjutant Bradley stepped forward to meet a Con- 
federate officer who was advancing as though to give himself 
up, when the latter drew a pistol and wounded the adjutant, 
who grappled his assailant and they rolled down the bank in 
the struggle which followed. Bradley having been shot in 
the thigh by a bystanding rebel was overpowered, and his an- 
tagonist was poising his pistol to give a death-shot when his 
own traitorous life was extinguished by a well directed shot 
from the rifle of Private Samuel E. Eddy, of Co. D. Simulta- 
neously with the shot Eddy was thrust through the breast with 
a bayonet in the hands of a stalwart Southron. The weapon 



506 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

protruded from the back near the spine, and the unfortunate 
soldier being thrown down was literally pinned to the ground. 
The assailant then endeavored to wrest away Eddy's Spencer 
rifle, but the wounded man grasped his trusty weapon with a 
grip which few men in either army could equal, and notwith- 
standing his awful situation succeeded in throwing another 
cartridge into his rifle, the bullet from which was next moment 
sent through the heart of his antagonist. The Confederate fell 
across the prostrate Unionist, but the latter threw aside the 
body with one hand as though it were the carcass of a dog, 
withdrew the bayonet from his own horrible wound, rose to his 
feet, and walked to the rear. 

After this exhibition of treachery the regiment re-opened fire 
with a vengeance, and it required but a few volleys to bring the 
Confederates to their senses and to a surrender in reality, the 
cavalry at the upper end of the ravine cutting off their retreat. 
The 37th secured and sent to the rear over three hundred 
prisoners, considerably in excess of the number of men it 
took into the fight, while from all sides captives and captures 
of every sort poured to the rear in bewildering numbers and 
quantity. 

No less than six Confederate generals were secured, includ- 
ing Ewell, Kershaw, and Custis Lee, with about all that re- 
mained of Ewell's corps. There was but little attempt to 
count, and scarcely to guard the captures made; while every- 
where the shout was "Forward!" "Onward!" to strike the 
final blows and destroy everything that remained to Lee as an 
organized army. 

In such a struggle as the 37th had passed through, where 
every man had proved himself a hero and fought largely on his 
own responsibility, it is impossible to note more than a few of 
the noteworthy deeds performed, and the narration of certain 
incidents will only serve to show the character of many which 
must be passed without chronicle, but which will live long about 
the camp-fire and in the traditions of the home. Gen. Custis 
Lee, who directed the charge upon the 37th, had till shortly be- 
fore filled a clerkship at Richmond, but finally laid down the 
pen to take up the sword, surrendering the latter at the muzzle 
of the Spencer rifle to Corp. David White of Co. E. First Sergt. 
Almon M. Warner of the same company attempted to capture 
a battle-flag, but was severely wounded, when Private Charles 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 507 

A. Taggart of Co. B sprang forward and secured the colors, for 
which act of bravery he received a medal.* 

One brave corporal becoming somewhat separated from his 
comrades encountered a Confederate officer whose surrender he 
demanded and on receiving a refusal shot him, inflicting a fatal 
wound. As the wounded man fell the corporal bent over him, 
saying: " I am sorry that I had to shoot you! I am a Christian, 
and if you wish I will pray with you; it is all I can do for you 
now." The offer was thankfully accepted, and while the tem- 
pest of battle raged near them the earnest voice of prayer rose 
in behalf of Mie departing spirit. At its close the dying officer 
joined in the "Amen," gave his sword to the young soldier 
with a message for his wife, when the latter, who had been 
fired at on the supposition that he was committing a robbery, 
resumed his rifle and continued the battle. 

Though the loss was severe, it was found to be far less than 
might have been expected from the ferocity of the conflict. 
Nine had been killed and thirty-one wounded, several of the 
latter fatally and nearly all seriously. The killed were: Co. 
B — Corp. Henry L. Messinger and Edgar N. Phelps. C — Sergt. 
Samuel M. Bolton and Charles Blakesley. D — Corp. Timotliy 
D. Smith. E— William H. Henderson. F— William F. Leg- 
gett. H— Sergt. David B. Miller. K— Timothy Mullin. Capt. 
Walter B. Smith and Lieut. Harrie A. Cushman were severely 
wounded in the early part of the engagement — the former by 
a charge of "buck and ball" in the thigh received at short 
range. The loss in non-commissioned officers was especially 
severe. Four first sergeants were wounded — Warner of E, 
Cowles of D, Freeman of B, and Partridge of H, the three 
latter fatally. Sergt. Bolton of Co. C, who was killed, was one 
of the transfers from the 10th, a fine soldier, who in the closing 
battle of the rebellion crowned nearly four years of faithful 
service by the supreme sacrifice. 



* These medals had been authorized by a resohition of Congress approved July 
12, 1862, " to provide for the presentation of Medals of Honor to the enlisted 
men of the army and volunteer forces vi^ho have distinguished, or may distin- 
guish, themselves in battle during the present rebellion." On the back of the 
medal was engraved, " The Congress, to Private Charles A. Taggart, Co. B, 37th 
Mass. Vols." That these medals were not promiscuously distributed is suffi- 
ciently attested by the fact that but eighteen were bestowed on Massachusetts 
soldiers. 



508 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

That night our boys camped near the battle field, and the suc- 
ceeding two days were occupied in following up the retreating 
fragments of the Confederate army. On the night of the 6th 
Lee had retired across the Appomattox at High Bridge with 
what was left to him of the hungry, broken, dispirited army, 
but before the bridges behind him could be destroyed the 2d 
Corps was rushing across and the pursuit was unbroken. The 
8th found his forces hopelessly hemmed in at Appomattox 
Court House, the Federal troops closing in resistlessly and Gen- 
eral Grant demanding his surrender to save the further waste of 
life. There was one more desperate attempt on the morning of 
the 9th to force the thin lines through the cavalry environment 
which Sheridan had placed between the Confederates and fur- 
ther retreat, but the pushing back of the dismounted horseinen 
only disclosed the advancing bayonets of the Army of the 
James, and the white flag which preceded formal surrender 
took the place of the Stars and Bars. 

As the fact of Lee's surrender became generally known 
through the Union army that afternoon there was joy too wild, 
too deep, too sincere for utterance in formal words. Cannon 
thundered, men shouted themselves hoarse, then pitched 
their shelter tents for the first time since leaving winter quar- 
ters and lay within them with the strange realization that there 
was no longer an opposing army to be watched and feared. 

Our regiment enjoyed a night and a day of unbroken rest 
and were then ordered to report back to Burkesville, for which 
place they started on the morning of the 11th in a drizzling 
rain, marching twenty miles toward Farmville over the road 
by which they had moved toward Appomattox. Both the rain 
and the march continued for two days longer, camp being 
pitched near Burkesville on the afternoon of the 13th in a 
beautiful pine grove. There the regiment remained for ten 
days, during which time every heart was inexpressibly sad- 
dened by the news of the assassination of President Lincoln. 

During this time occurred the last muster of officers — Dr. 
Charles E. Inches, of Boston, on the 13th as assistant surgeon, 
and on the 15th 2d Lieut. James O'Connor of Co. G as 1st lieu- 
tenant of Co. C, vice Jones, promoted. Surgeon Inches was a 
young man, enthusiastic and ambitious in his profession, with 
a heart overflowing with kindness for his fellow-beings; and 
brief as was his service and happily free from the ravages of 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 509 

battle, his tender humanity won prompt and heartfelt apprecia- 
tion from every member of the regiment. 

Meantime in every direction the end of the armed rebellion 
was approaching. General Sherman after tarrying at Savannah 
for some weeks had moved forward in resistless force to Co- 
lumbia, S. C, whence he swept straight through the Carolinas 
toward Richmond, driving before him the remnants of the Con- 
feder9.te forces which General Johnston was striving to gather 
somewhere for a determined stand. Fort Fisher, guarding the 
harbor of Wilmington, N. C, having fallen before the deter- 
mined assault of General Terry, and Wilmington itself before 
General Schofield's 23d Corps, which had been brought to the 
Carolina coast by way of Washington, these forces were trans- 
ferred to New-Berne, and moved — though not without opposition 
and some sharp fighting — toward the center of the state to in- 
tersect the line of Sherman's march. Hardee had evacuated 
Charleston on hearing of Sherman's movement, lighting fires 
which burned most of the city and killed two hundred of the 
inhabitants by an explosion, and at Averasboro had a sharp en- 
gagement with some of Sherman's forces on the IGth of March. 
This was followed by the more determined battle of Benton- 
ville, three days later, in which Johnston succeeded in check- 
ing the column under General Siocum from the 19th to the 21st, 
when Sherman having concentrated an enveloping force the 
Confederate commander retired during the night and the march 
(ff the Union army was resumed. 

At Goldsboro, Sherman formed a connection with Schofield, 
and halted to rest his exhausted troops, communication being 
opened by rail with New- Berne, but on the 10th of April the cam- 
paign was resumed. Next day the tidings of Lee's surrender 
were received, and Raleigh was occupied on the 13th; the day 
following Johnston sent in a flag of truce and from the armis- 
tice which resulted his surrender ensued on the 2Gth. In his 
case as in that of Lee, the hungry Confederate soldiers were 
supplied with rations by the government they had so long fought 
against, and at once started for their homes to resume the pur- 
suits of peace and begin the great task of repairing the ravages 
of war. 

Meantime the Gth Corps had been ordered from Burkesville 
to Danville, on the North Carolina border, one hundred miles 
away, and on the morning of the 23d set forth. The roads, fol- 



610 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



lowing the general direction of the railroad, were good and the 
weather was quite favorable, which with the encouragement 
received from recent events gave the troops great heart and 
strength for whatever trials might be deemed necessary. 
Twenty-five miles w^ere made the first day and twenty the 
next, bringing the corps to bivouac on the banks of the Staun- 
ton river. Soon after dark of the 27th our regiment as rear 
guard of the corps passed through Danville and a mile beyond 
went into camp. 

As the corps approached the city, which is situated on the 
south bank of the Dan river, an attempt was made by some of 
the bitter inhabitants to burn the bridge, but the mayor and 
the more sensible citizens protested so vigorously that the pur- 
pose was abandoned. To the right on an elevation a fort with 
six guns commanding the bridge looked grimly down, but it 
had no garrison and was simply a reminder of the days which 
had passed. The city had also been a depot for Union prison- 
ers, but such as were there had been released and with joy had 
hurried to the now all-potent protection of the triumphant 
Stars and Stripes. 

Reliable intelligence of Johnston's surrender, which had been 
prematurely rumored, was received on the following day, and 
then it was even more vividly realized that with the dispersion 
of the last formidable armed force the existence of the rebellion 
practically ceased, that the long looked for day had come when 
there was in reality but one Country beneath one Flag. 



■^ 



First N. Y. Re^t. to the Front. 



THE first regiment in the state of 
New York to offer its services to 
the government, is said by Colonel 
Adams of the 67th, to be the regiment 
he commanded. 



First Conflict of the War. 



THE first actnal conflict of the war 
was in St. Lonis, on the lOtli of 
May, 1861, on the occasion of the coup 
d'etat of General Lyon — capture of tlie 
rebel camp Jackson. 




A TOWN OF RUINS. 



How '■=> Harper's * Ferry ^^ and * its * Romantic # Surroundings ^^ Now * Look. 



BATTLE FIELDS OF THE VALLEY. 




AnUetani from Bolivar Heights. — Kernstown and Cedar Creek. 

By C. H. H. 

Harper's Ferry, July 15, 1886. 

ERY desolate is the appearance of this 
" town at the present time. It is like a 
country cemetery with half the grave- 
stones knocked, down. It is a town of 
ruins. Everything is in decay. Every- 
body is asleep. In years past the roar of artillery about the 
mountain peaks kept things in a tolerably lively state. In 
these days the nearest approach to a warlike sound is the 
occasional crack of the sportsman's rifle. The puffing of an 
engine is about the only noise which awakens the echoes. 
The only excitement is when the express trains from Wash- 
ington draw up to the little depot. Then every boy in town 
swarms upon the unsuspecting traveler like a hive of bees 
and insists upon disposing of a basket of cherries and hard- 
boiled eggs and indigestible pies. In a moment more the train 
scoots up the bank of the Potomac and threads its way througli 
the mountains to the west, or follows along the Shenandoah 
and rushes up the fertile valley of Virginia, and Harper's Ferry 
sinks back into its sleepy state and waits for something else to 
turn up. There is not another such tumble-down place on the 
earth. The main street runs up hill at an angle of forty-five 

(511) 



512 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

degrees. It is a good deal like climbing a ladder to go up it. 
One house is built almost upon the roof of another. At least 
that seemed to be the idea when the place was laid out, but now 
about one house in every possible five has its side blown out or 
its roof caved in, or its underpinning completely knocked away, 
and when a house begins to go its end is near, for no one ever 
thinks of repairing damages. It requires a pretty sure-footed 
horse to climb a street, and as for sidewalks — well, there may 
be some, but I haven't seen any. There hasn't been energy 
enough in town even to keep the vandals away. All the senti- 
ment of the thing is taken away when one reads on the side 
of the historic landmark, Jefferson's Rock, the wretchedly 
scrawled advertisement of a nasty cigarette. 

From the Top of Bolivar Heights. 

But ruin and decay cannot detract from the beautiful scenery, 
and they only add to the interest of the many stories of the 
war. Old John Brown's fort looks as if it had had a bad attack 
of ague, the old arsenal is in ruins; but no one passes them by if 
he knows it. Neither the fort nor the arsenal was here when 
President Jefferson climbed up Bolivar Heights, but his eyes 
flashed upon the same grand scenery that one can see to-day. 
He told everybody he met that to stand on the top of Bolivar 
was worth a trip across the Atlantic. There are those who 
come to Harper's Ferry in these days who are not disposed to 
contradict him. Three great states terminate their boundaries 
in three huge mountains. When the thunder rolls and the 
lightning plays about their peaks they seem to hurl defiance at 
each other. The Potomac, dividing Maryland and West Vir- 
ginia, and the Shenandoah, separating West Virginia from the 
Old Dominion, mingle their waters under the long bridge, and 
piercing the very heart of the Blue Ridge flow on to the sea. 
They look very peaceable just now, flowing over their rocky 
beds, but when the rains of early spring melt the snow and it 
rushes down the mountain sides the peaceful rivers become 
mighty torrents almost without warning and nothing can with- 
stand them. Mountains line the side of the united rivers as far 
as the eye can reach, while to the west high walls soon shut out 
from view the winding Potomac. Behind lies the great valley 
of Virginia, where, as the fortunes of war changed, opposing 
armies chased each other, bent only on death and destruction. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 513 

The valley is one great battle field. From Harpers Ferry to 
Staunton many of the bloodiest battles of the rebellion were 
fought, and thousands of the sons of Virginia lie buried under 
the sod by the side of the dead of the Northern armies. 

Soutli Mountain and Antietam. 

From Bolivar some of the battle fields can easily be picked 
out. In fact there was fighting on this very height. In Sep- 
tember, 1862, Colonel White held Harper's Ferry, and he had 
something like eleven thousand men to help him do it. Stone- 
wall Jackson, on the way to meet Lee, captured it. While the 
fight was raging on Bolivar, Lee was engaged with McClellan 
at South Mountain. It was at South Mountain where a man 
from Ohio named Hayes was wounded. Lee fell back to Sharps- 
burg, and, from Bolivar, Jackson saw the smoke of Antietam, 
only ten miles away. He joined Lee and saved his army from 
being pretty effectually blotted out, and Lee managed to escape 
to Winchester. Every inch of land between Harper's Ferry 
and Winchester has been trodden under foot many a time by 
marching men. There is no more interesting point in the val- 
ley than this latter town. Rich in its memories of Washington 
it was knocked about like a shuttlecock between "Feds" and 
" Rebs." On an eminence back of the town are two cemeteries, 
mute witnesses of strife and carnage. In the Union Cemetery 
the Stars and Stripes rise and fall above the graves of 4,400 
dead. Keeper Druin keeps the grass closely shaven and the 
fiowers in full bloom; but even he cannot tell the names of 
more than half the heroes who rest under the sod. The rest be- 
long to that great army of the unknown. Just across a narrow 
path lie the heroes of the opposing forces. They have no mar- 
ble slabs at their heads, but their slumber is just as peaceful. 
The granite shaft made in Philadelphia and erected here three 
or four years ago is a lasting monument to the unrecorded dead 
of the Stonewall Cemetery. 

Any one who cares to do so can find in Winchester all sorts 
of anecdotes of the war. Ladies can tell of the part they 
played in nursing the wounded. Men can tell of the incessant 
tramp of marching feet and of many a narrow escape. But 
four miles away is Kernstown. where, in the winter of 1861, 
Shields and Stonewall Jackson came together and where the 
Confederate general lost his grip and was forced up the valley. 

33 



514 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

There are people, too, who remember Sheridan's famous ride to 
Cedar Creek, where Jubal Early had routed General Emory 
and was having everything his own way until Sheridan snatched 
victory from the very jaws of defeat. I asked an old colored 
man out on the Kernstown road the other day — a decrepit old 
darkey, who said he had seen Sheridan go by — how the general 
looked. 

" Look! " exclaimed the old man. "Look! Why, he didn't 
look nohow. I done reckon he didn't have no time to look. 
He done went by so fas' dat he jes' took in fences 'n walls. 
Bless yo' heart, boss, he didn't have no time to stop for no road 
even." 

Still further up the valley is New Market, where Breckinridge 
defeated Sigel, although his army was inferior in numbers. 
Twenty miles further on is Harrisonburg, rich in the memory 
of Ashby and of Cross Keys. Not far from Harrisonburg Ashby 
fell during a charge of the Pennsylvania Bucktails. 

Sentiment in the Valley, 

Probably there is more feeling over the war in the Valley of 
Virginia than in any other part of the South. It is natural. In 
no other place were the results of the war so terrible. The val- 
ley was a continual battle ground. Lives were taken and 
property was destroyed, and much of it, too, without right or 
reason. People who saw their homes burned before their 
eyes cannot forget it. The people still believe in Lee and 
Stonewall Jackson, and when Randolph Tucker went to Win- 
chester, and, at the commencement at the academy there, made 
some rather remarkable statements in the way of eulogy, he 
was roundly applauded. It was in poor taste, and a few of the 
Northern boys in the academy couldn't stand it and left the 
hall; but Tucker isn't much of a statesman, as statesmen go, 
and he went right on just the same. The people applauded him 
because he lauded Lee and Jackson to the skies. Yet a little 
while later a Pennsylvania fire company visited town and the 
"Yankees" were received with open arms. Nothing was too 
good for them and every building was decorated and at night 
every window was illuminated. Queer, isn't it? 

The fact is, the valley people have a deep feeling for their 
dead sons and destroyed property. They cannot forgive the 
North for this in their hearts, but it is not often that they allow 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



515 



their sentiments to overcome them. They have a valley rich 
and fertile and are gradually recovering what they lost. In- 
stead of a battle field the Valley of Virginia has been changed 
to an immense summer resort. Numerous springs and summer 
hotels dot the mountain sides and there is no more imposing 
mountain scenery anywhere. 



GRANT PROMOTED THEM. 

Soldiers Who Would Obey Even if They Shot Tlieir General. 

By "SOLDIER SAM." 



^^;W;HILE we we're down on the Mis- 



sissippi, a big barge loaded with 
bombs and gunpowder was ly- 
ing alongside the wharf. Grant had 
given orders that no one should smoke 
on board that barge. I suppose the 
old tub had thousands of dollars' worth 
of powder under her decks. So the 
corporal sent a guard there, and or- 
dered him to shoot the first man who 
should cross the plank with a lighted 
pipe or cigar. Well, when the word 
got abroad we kept away, for we knew 
that the order meant business. One day 
when I was off duty General Grant rode 
up on his horse. He wore a big blouse 
and a slouch hat. He had no star, no 
side-arms. We all knew him without 
the aid of trinkets. 

" Is that the powderboat ? " he asked. 

I told him it was. 

He looked at me sharply over a red-hot 
cigar, and said : " I'll go on board, then." 

I knew he'd never take that cigar 
out of his mouth except to eat or sleep, 
so I said : " General, if you walk across 
that plank smoking the sentry will 
shoot you." 

He saw that I was in earnest, but he 
said : " Don't you suppose he knows me?" 

"Of course he does', general," I re- 
plied ; " but he's been ordered to shoot 
the first man caueht smoking on that 



barge, and he'll do it. That's the kind 
of chap he is." 

Grant looked rather amused. I 
reckon he never intended to go near 
the old barge. He just wheeled his 
horse about and away he went. 

That evening I told the sentry all 
about the talk. The next morning he 
and the corporal were ordered up to the 
general's headquarters. The sentry 
was a black man, but when he heard 
that Grant wanted to see him he was 
rather white. He went up. 

" Can you read?" asked Grant. 

" No, sail ; I nebber had no chance 
to la'n." 

" Do you always know me when j^ou 
see me ? " 

" Yes, sah." 

"Suppose I had gone on board that 
powderboat with a lighted cigar, what 
would you have done? " 

" Shpt you, sah." 

" But I'm your general ! " said Grant, 

" Yes, sah ; and we jes' obeys yo' 
orders," said the sentry. 

Grant looked the men all over. The 
corporal was trembling, and the sentry 
was actually pale ; but both were as 
firm as rocks. At last the general re- 
laxed. " Well, sir," he said to the 
negro, " we'll make you a corporal, and 
this other man shall be a sergeant. 



516 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

-T^ P R O N I O T E D .^V^ 



FEANK N. SCOTT, 



C^ROM field and fortress, battlement But, peace restored, his sword he 
fjo and spar, sheathed again. 



^ Droops the proud ensign free- And sought the good of those who 

dom loves so well, felt his blows. 

While on the listening air, from near ^, ,,. ^ , ,n • , 

, . (Jh,soldieriearless,conquerorandfriend, 

T , ' J 1, ,1 r 1 Oh? statesman, honored throughout 

In solemn cadence tolls the funeral ,, ,, ,, 

. - all the earth, , 

Oh, father loving and beloved, we bend 

The booming cannon and the mnffled ^^'"o^S the saddened mourners round 

drum thy hearth. 

In fitting measure mourn the soldier Though here the wearied body resting 

brave, lies, 

Who faced the screaming shell and bul- The final battle fought, the victory 

lets' hum, won. 

His country's grand integrity to save. Ah, doubt it not, above the drooping 

skies 

The busy thronging thoroughfares are Ilis soul, o'er fields celestial, marches 

clad on. 

In somber-hued habiliments of grief : ^ , i ,., , • , , i , 

. . ,. . , , On grander battle plauis he stands, who 
A mourning nation, sorrowing and sad. 

Bends in affliction o'er her fallen ^t , i n ^ • ^ i • • i • 

. . , Held all our patriot legions in his 

hand. 

From distant nations, cabled in the ^^^ watched the gathering thunders 

deeps, '^^ they burst 

On lightning wings, flash words of And scattered desolation o'er the land, 

sympathy ; q1^^ severed sisters of the North and 

A waiting universe its vigil keeps, South 

Wliere sleeps the champion of liberty. strike hands in amity above the 

sacred bier ; 

No truer patriot ever yet was fired tt j n -t- c +i t^ j ^^i i j 

^ -' . Heed the monitions ot that death-closed 

By holy zeal to plead his country's ,i 

' ' ' . Nor let one jarring discord pain his ear. 
At her conmiand, his sword flashed out, 

inspired Oh, life heroic, triumphing o'er death; 

By Union, liberty, and sacred laws. Oh, God-like soul, which pain could 

not cast down, 

He bore her flag o'er many a sanguined To latest time be freedom's shibboleth, 

plain. The name thy deeds have gilded with 

And visited destruction on her foes, renown. 




le: m iSenTie^iion # ©f t? a # ©ream. 

Narrated by D. W. WARE, Company H, I 0th Vt. Vols. (Springfield, Mass.). 

>HILE encamped in front of Petersburg we lay near Fort 
Fisher. I had three tentmates, Sergt. E. T. Johnson, 
Joseph A. Smith, and John Smith. John Smith was 
''^^^ a quiet Irishman, with dry, humorous wit, the trio mak- 
ing a very pleasant set of mates, and many evenings have 
we passed in soldier life in pleasant converse together. Joseph 
had been home on a sick furlough, and while in hospital he be- 
came acquainted with a young lady, and perhaps was engaged 
when he returned to the front, which was but a few days pre- 
vious to what I am about to relate. 

On the morning of the 25tli of March, "65, our regiment, the 
10th Vt. , were detailed for picket. We had been on the picket 
line but a short time when Joe Smith came to me and said he 
had a dream that troubled him, and wished to relate it; so we 
sat down, and he said he dreamed we were going to advance 
the picket line; we should have a hard fight, and that he and 
John would be killed, but I should get through safe. I laughed 
at him and told him there was no indication of an engagement, 
and he must not trouble himself about dreams, but he continued 
and said he wanted I should pack his things and send them 
home, designating the disposition of the articles, particularly a 
ring he wore. While talking, what should we see but Colonel 
Damon coming through the main line on horseback, towards 
our line. Says Joe, "There, Dan, that is just as I dreamed." The 
colonel came down and told us we must take the rebel picket 
line in our front, but go no further; to pack up carefully so the 
rebs would not see us, and at a signal from Fort Fisher, charge 
the line. Joe was quite sad and told me to keep near him. We 
got the order to go, and started through an open field, had not 
gone more than twenty-five rods before the rebs opened on us 
and the first volley Joe fell, shot through the groin, severing the 
main artery. As I seized him the blood spurted all over me, 

(517) 



518 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

and I could not stop it, the ball passing clear through him pro- 
ducing a wound that must soon end in death. He lingered a 
short time with his head resting in my arms, telling me to be 
sure to send his effects home as before requested. Meantime 
the troops not having started with our regiment, we were 
ordered back, but I remained out in the open field until Joe 
breathed his last — being safe from the enemy's fire while caring 
for a wounded comrade. I took the ring from the dead soldier's 
finger and made a lively retreat down the hill through a shower 
of bullets, to the right, into a swamp, thinking to get out of 
range. I found John Smith behind a stump all in a heap. Says 
I, " Why don't you fall back?" "In faith I'll wait until they come 
again and save so much travel." Just then five or six rebs fired 
at the sound of our voices; one ball cut my sleeve from my elbow 
to wrist, and one cut a furrow through the top of John's head, 
killing him almost instantly. The dream was verified. I was 
safe thus far. I fell back to the line, re-enforcements came to 
our aid and we again charged and captured the line with all the 
men as prisoners, which was held until the fall of Petersburg. 
On my return to camp we buried our comrades, and forwarded 
the articles as directed. 

First Recoj^nition of Colored Troops as 
Equals by the Confederate Army. 



'•]|P'HE first official recognition of negro 
troops as equals, by the rebels, was 
in December, 1863, when a flag of truce 
borne by Maj. John C. Calhoun, a 
grandson of John C. Calhoun, was 
received at Hilton Head, by Major 
Trowbridge of the 1st S. C. Negro 
Regt. 

^— S) ^^' " ' ^ ^^ —^ 
First Hussar Regiment, Trenton, N.J. SUMNER AND LINCOLN. 



¥ 



HE first Hussar regiment raised in ^ENATOR SUMNER was the first 
the country for real service in the person to urge upon President Lin- 
war was organized at Trenton, N. J., coin to make public the Confiscation 
by Col. Andrew J. Morrison. Proclamation. 



Narrow Escape of a Traitor. 



A DRUM-HEAD COURT-MARTIAL THAT WAS HELD IN OLD LIBBY. 



^^:v\\x\\x^^.■v\\■v\\v^\x^^■v\\x^\■v^\v 



X\\V\\V^\V\\Vv\X\\V^\X\\X\\V.\*\> 



,F the six officers of the 
regular army who found 
themselves in Libby Pris- 
on in 1863-4, one was a fine 
looking colonel from Indiana — 
a big bodied, big brained, big 
hearted fellow, chock-full of en- 
ergy. He worked like a steam 
engine until he got out of Libby. 
Once he found his tunnel too 
small for his burly form; once 
he was checked at the outer 
end of it by two or three armed 
Confederate soldiers, who had 
been quietly waiting for him; 
again a clever ruse was de- 
tected just as he got to the 
middle of the gate, and so it 
went, until he had made half a 
dozen attempts. But he never 
gave up, and finally got out, 
and is now a prosperous citizen 
of Indianapolis, a trifle stouter 
than when he was in Libby, 
and a good deal richer, but 
otherwise unchanged. After 
two or three attempts to get 
out of Libby had failed, he be- 
gan to suspect that his failures 
were the result of treachery in 



the prisoners' camp. Ex- 
change, like kissing, went by 
favor. The colonel, after think- 
ing each failure over, came to 
the conclusion that some poor 
devil was selling his manhood 
for a mess of pottage — curry- 
ing the favor which would 
"exchange" him to his home 
by betraying the plans of his 
companions in arms to the 
enemy. He looked about him 
for the man. Cautious in- 
quiries at length gave him such 
information as prompted him 
to say to each of the five other 
regular army officers: "Meet 
me at such a spot at midnight. 
I have found the traitor. We 
will court - martial him to- 
night." At midnight the six 
men met in a dark corner, and, 
in low, whispering voices, or- 
ganized a drum-head court-mar- 
tial. The colonel presented the 
name of the suspect, and then 
his proofs. In the ballot that 
followed, each of the six voted 
"guilty." "Now," said the 
colonel, "this is not a farce. 



(519) 



520 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



We must vote a sentence, and 
then we must execute it.'' 
"Very well," said the next 
man. "Well," said the colo- 
nel, " I vote for death. The 
wretch deserves it." "So do 
I," said the next, and so on 
down to the sixth — a Pennsyl- 
vania major. He knew the 
culprit — a Pennsylvanian, like 
himself — better than the rest. 
He knew that he was quite ca- 
pable of the crime charged 
against him. He had no doubt 
of his guilt. He wanted to see 
him punished. He said all this 
to the other members of the 
court, and then he added: 
"But, you know, we are not a 
legal court-martial. We have 
no authority to act — certainly 
no authority to kill. We may 
sift the evidence presented 
against a man for our own sat- 
isfaction, but we cannot sen- 
tence, much less kill him. The 
most we can do is to prefer 
charges against him to the 
War Department. We can't 
kill him — " Suddenly inter- 
rupting himself, he said: "Col- 
onel, what's that in your 
hand?" "The rope," said the 
colonel, grimly; " I've been 
plaiting it as we talked," and 
he passed it around. He had 
taken an old shirt, torn it into 
narrow strips, and woven it 
into something that looked like 
a rope. "Now, major," he 
said, when it was handed back 



to him, "what you have said is 
all very well. It does credit to 
your heart as well as to your 
head. But you're outvoted; 1 
the majority are against you. 
The sentence of the court is 
that the scoundrel shall die, 
and die he will this minute, for 
I'll kill him myself. Come, 
captain," he said to the brawny 
Irishman next to him, " j^ou 
and I will settle the rascal." 
"Why, you wouldn't strangle I 
him in his sleep, would you?" 
asked the major, also on his 
feet as the others started to- 
ward the sleeping form of the 
traitor. " Certainly," whis- 
pered the colonel, "why not? 
He can't pray, and we can't 
have any noise." " You never 
will," said the major, firmly, 
getting in front of the colonel; 
"I won't let you; you'll have 
to kill me first. I won't stand 
by and see you stain your 
honest hands with his dishonest 
blood in such a way as that. 
Why, man, it would be a mur- 
der. You would be a mur- 
derer. I won't permit it." 
Gliding softly before the rest, 
he reached the sleeping man 
and sat down beside his head. 
There he sat till the gray morn- 
ing came stealing in through 
the chilly atmosphere. Long 
before that time the colonel 
and his companions, baffled 
and disgusted, had stolen away 
to their sleeping places, carry- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



621 



ing the plaited rope with them. 
As soon as the major could see 
the traitors face in the dim 
light of the dawn, he waked 
him and told him all that had 
occurred. " Now, sir," he said, 
sternly, " I saved your life last 
night, although I believed you 
worthy of death. I won't do 
it again. I saved your life for 
my sake, not for yours. My 
advice is that as soon as the 
guard comes in for roll-call you 
get out of Libby, and as soon 
as you get to Washington get 
out of the army. If you're in 
the army when I get out I'll 
prefer charges against you, and 
if I meet you I'll kill you." 



Trembling with excitement, the 
wretch, without a word of de- 
nial or palliation, got up, and, 
as soon as the guard came in, 
got out. The stalwart six for- 
warded charges against him 
from Libby. "When they got 
out of prison they found him 
out of the army, so they 
dropped the matter. The trai- 
tor is in the army now, re-in- 
stated by act of Congress, I 
believe; but the major who 
promised to kill him on sight 
is under the green sod of the 
prairie. Still, the colonel 
would make things lively for 
the traitor if they met face to 
face. 

^.^ ^U. 



THK KIOHTPH KANSAS. 



CHAPLAIN J. PAULSON. 



tNCE moi'e we meet — but not as 
■when 
With youth and hope we marched 
away, 
A tliousand men we nuistered then — 
A feeble renmaut here to-day. 

Our banner flashed in waves of light. 
O'er serried columns, brave and strong, 

While thousands gathered to the sight, 
With cheers of parting, loud and long. 

The merry jest and laugh went round. 

Our toils and hardships to beguile, 
As with the soul of " Old John 
Brown," 
We tramped through many a weary 
mile. 



We tramped and fought, and fought 
and tramped, 
War's fierce tide surging to and fro, 
O'er mountain height and dismal 
swamp, 
Until the grand concluding blow. 

But now, by conflict torn and marred. 
Our flags hang on the silent wall. 

And we, gray-haired and battle-scarred, 
The struggles of the past recall. 

For suffering binds with links of steel 
The souls that death together braved. 

And hearts, with tender memories fill, 
For those whose blood the Nation 
saved. 



522 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



Our comrades of tliose troubled years, 
Who sleep beneath the silent sod, 

Who yielding not to foes or fears, 
Were true to country and to God, 

Wasting, as wastes the crumbling rock, 
Work by exposure, want, and toil, 

Falling in battle's deadly shock, 

But dying with the conqueror's smile — 

For them the camp-fire burns no more, 
Nor morning reveille shall wake; 

The bugle's blast, nor cannon's roar, 
Shall never more their slumbers 
break. 

Their dust is scattered far and wide 
O'er battle fields their valor won, 

'Neath Alabama's mountain side, 
Aiid Georgia's fervid Southern sun ; 

Kentucky's dark and bloody ground 
Has closed upon the manly breast. 

And Tennessee a place has found 
For many a conn-ade's final rest ; 

Down by the Gulf Stream's cypress 
gloom. 
Where mosses gray, funereal wave ; 
Or where magnolias blend perfume 
With orange blooms above their 
grave. 



Our Western households mourn the loss. 
Of lovers, sons, and brothers slain ; 

Yet joy relieves the bitter cross — 
They died, but perished not in vain I 

The Union banner floats supreme 
O'er every spot their feet have 
pressed. 

And glory crowns the patriot's dream — 
A land united and at rest ! 

Thus Kansas gave, in faith sublime, 
The life bloom of her children free, 

While from it springs through after 
time 
The flower and fruit of liberty. 

But while we drop the silent tear 
In memory of our comrades gone, 

A grateful country greets us here. 
And hails our work as nobly done. 

Then let the tale from age to age 
Be told with varied speech and style. 

In poet's soiig, on history's page, 
And art's proud monumental pile. 

The parting comes — the conqueror. 
Death, 
Lays prostrate both the brave and 
strong. 
But while the Union stands, the Eighth 
Shall live in story and in song. 



■^^ 



^-3- 



A SAILOR'S PRAYER. 



^|N board a gunboat in the Missis- 
^l: sippi squadron, just as the vessel 



" Praying for what? " 

" Praying," said the sailor, with the 

was going into action, a gilded officer utmost composure, " that the enemy's 

found a sailor on his knees, and sneer- bullets may be distributed the same 

ingly inquired if he was afraid. way the prize money is, jyrincipaUy 

" No," he responded, " I was praying." among the officers." 



ji:^T^^^=-^ 



Guarding Davis at Fortress Monroe. 

o 

CHAS. S. TRIPLER, 12th U. S. Infantry. 




N 1865 I was first lieutenant in the 12tli United States 
Infantry, and, in the absence of my captain, com- 
manded Company E of 'the 1st battalion of that regi- 
ment. Early in October I was ordered to Fortress Mon- 
roe, and reported for duty to Gen. N. A. Miles. My rank as 
lieutenant subjected me to detail as officer of the guard, and, as 
such, I had for the twenty-four hours of my detail immediate 
charge of our distinguished prisoner, my orders being "not to 
allow him out of my sight during my tour of duty." Mr. Davis 
was confined to a room in Carroll Hall, which was designed as 
quarters for lieutenants entitled to two rooms only, so all the 
rooms, except the mess hall and library, are in suites of two 
rooms each. The doorways were all grated with iron, and a 
sentry walked before each on a pile of cocoa matting some four 
inches thick. The officer of the guard was not allowed to leave 
the room unless relieved by the officer of the day, nor to sleep 
at all during his twenty-four hours of duty. The grated win- 
dows were locked, the keys being in the custody of the officer of 
the day. As was the custom, on my first day of duty as officer 
of the guard I was introduced by my predecessor to Mr. Davis 
thus: "Mr. Davis, Mr. Tripler of the 12th." Mr. Davis said: 
"Are you Stuart Tripler?" I said: "Yes, sir." He then said 
he remembered my grandmother (Mrs. Hunt) and had very 
pleasant recollections of my father (Surgeon Tripler of the 
army). We had that day no further conversation until the 
time came for his daily walk around the parapet. At that 
time the officer of the day came, accompanied by two negro 
prisoners, unlocked the door, when Mr. Davis, dressed in snuff- 
colored clothes, with a Raglan overcoat and soft, high-crowned, 
black felt hat, stepped into my room. General Miles entered 
at this time with the daily papers, which were placed on a 
table in Mr. D.'s room. The prisoners commenced at once to 

(523) 



524 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

clean up the room, and we left in the following order: Mr. 
Davis and officers of the guard, ten paces behind two sentries, 
a couple of paces behind them the officer of the day, and lastly, 
some distance off General Miles strolled along reading. 

We took our time, and Mr. Davis, by his instructive and most 
entertaining conversation, rendered this a most delightful duty. 
He seemed to know everything. He had the unusual faculty 
of drawing a young man out and making him show his best 
side. We would sometimes stop abreast of the water battery, 
in front of the commanding officers' quarters, and recline on 
the crest of the works, where 'he would relate pleasant stories 
of the old army, ask after common friends, and often give me 
points in my profession which were invaluable. To show how 
small a matter he would notice and speak of, there were a number 
of trees growing along one of the fronts of the casements which 
bore clusters of small white berries. Mr. Davis said: "■ Lieuten- 
ant Tripler, I saw you riding a nice looking horse the other 
day, but it is out of condition. Those berries you see there are 
one of the best condition medicines I know of, and you can find 
them all over the South; remember that; it's worth knowing." 
On our return Dr. Cooper's servant came in with Mr. Davis's 
lunch. All his meals were supplied from Dr. Cooper's table, 
and Mrs. Cooper was a notable housewife, and the markets of 
Fortress Monroe were well supplied; you may be sure Mr. Davis 
did not sufifer. The only request he ever made me during the 
time I was stationed there was to bring him a few a,pples each 
time I came on guard, which I did. I rather think he asked me 
for the sake of letting me think I was doing him a favor in re- 
turn for his exceeding kindness to my grandmother when he 
was Secretary of War. He could make a request in such a way 
that you felt he had conferred a favor on you in preferring it. 

C. C. Clay was confined in the rooms directly beneath Mr. 
Davis, but as Mrs. Clay was with him he was not guarded 
as Mr. Davis was. Mrs. Clay used to send sometimes a 
pitcher of punch to Mr. Davis. My orders not forbidding it, the 
pitcher was always passed in. Mr. Davis was supplied with 
good cigars by his friends. I know they were good, because 
Mr. Davis remarked that "smokers are gregarious, and I can't 
enjoy a cigar alone," and offered me one nearly every night, 
after he had assumed his night robes — he wore a red flannel 
nightgown, cap, and drawers. He was never annoyed, insulted, 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 525 

or worried during his stay. General Miles was coldly civil, and 
others " officially polite." I, perhaps, was more kindly disposed, 
but I never exceeded my instructions. I think Mr. Davis will 
himself give the lie to the exaggerated accounts of his sufferings. 
Imprisonment is not pleasant under the most favorable circum- 
stances, and no fallen chief of a great movement could have 
received more considerate treatment than did Mr, Davis. 



"V BRAVE and godly captain in a Western regiment re- 




^Cy!|y lated the following as we were taking him to the hospital. 
^j"-^ He was shot through both thighs with a rifle bullet — a 
wound from which he could not recover. While lying on the 
field he suffered intense agony from thirst. He supported his 
head upon his hand, and the rain from heaven was falling 
around him. In a little while a little pool of water formed 
under his elbow, and he thought if he could only get to that 
puddle he might quench his thirst. He tried to get into a posi- 
tion to suck up a mouthful of muddy water, but he was unable 
to reach within a foot of it. Said he, " I never felt so much the 
loss of any earthly blessing. 

" By and by night fell, and the stars shone out clear and 
beautiful above the dark field, and I began to think of that 
great God, who had given His Son to die a death of agony for 
me. and that He was up there — up above the scenes of suffering, 
and above those glorious stars; and I felt that I was going 
home to meet Him, and praise Him there; and I felt that I 
ought to praise God, even wounded, and on the battle field. I 
could not help singing that beautiful hymn, 

" ' When I can read my title clear 
To mansions in the skies, 
I'll bid farewell to every fear. 
And dry my weeping eyes.' 

"And," said he, "there was a Christian brother in the brush 
near me. I could not see him, but I could hear him. He took 
up the strain; and beyond him another and another caught it 
up all over the terrible battle field of Shiloh. That night the 
echo was resounding, and we made the field of battle ring with 
hymns of praise to God! " 



THE FIRST TO DIE FOR THE CONFEDERACY. 



The Beardless Boy who Fell in the Battle of Big Bethel. 

By S. R. WRIOHT. 



^^^^HE first soldier who died 
■i\^ while in the service of 
nj^;s<' the Southern States was 
a tailor from Augusta, Ga., 
who died in April, 1861, and 
the first soldier killed in battle 
was a beardless boy not twenty 
years old, from North Carolina, 
in May, 18G1. This was the 
first blood shed in the Southern 
cause. There were two 1st 
Georgia regiments which went 
to the war in April, 1861 — the 
1st Regulars, who were sent to 
Savannah, and the 1st Vols., 
who were ordered to Pensa- 
cola under Colonel Ramsay, 
from Augusta. There were 
two companies from Augusta, 
Ga., in this regiment — one of 
boys just from school, and one 
of older citizens of Augusta. 
In the latter company was a 
tailor, who in a frolic caught 
and put in his bosom a garter, 
or, as sometimes called, a 
thunder-and-lightning snake. 
There is a variety of this spe- 
cies of serpent — some whose 
bite is deadly, and others who 



are not at all poisonous. The 
soldier made a mistake, as there 
is but very little difference in 
their looks. Whilst going 
around with the snake in his 
bosom a crowd of his fellow- 
soldiers gathered around, and 
in a spirit of bravado he took 
it out and provoked the reptile 
until it bit him on the back of 
his hand, from which he died 
very soon. The snake was 
killed, taken to Augusta, and 
preserved in alcohol. Being in 
that city a few months after- 
wards I saw the reptile, which 
was two feet long and about 
the size of a child's finger. All 
the members of the 1st Ga. 
Regt. will recollect this cir- 
cumstance. 

The first soldier killed in bat- 
tle on the Southern side was at 
Big Bethel Church, about fifty 
miles from Gut Town, Va. 
Benjamin Butler had landed 
the first Yankee troops in Vir- 
ginia in May, 1861, and was 
met by a Virginia regiment at 
the church named. General 



(526) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



527 



Wadsworth, of Connecticut, 
was in immediate command, 
and upon seeing the Southern 
troops advancing on him 
jumped upon a log, waved his 
sword over his head, and or- 
dered his men to fire. They 
did so, and the North Carolina 
boy, who was a volunteer in 
the Virginia regiment, fell 
dead, the only one killed on 
our side. Immediately our 
men returned the fire, shoot- 
ing the general from the log, 
and his soldiers left the field. 
The blood of these two men, one 
on each side, was the first shed 



in the war, except that of the 
men of the Massachusetts regi- 
ment who were killed by a mob 
in Baltimore, Md, I was with 
my regiment in July, 1861, and 
visited the cemetery in Rich- 
mond, Va., and stood over the 
grave, at the head of which 
was a board bearing this in- 
scription (the name I have for- 
gotten): "From North Caro- 
lina, the First Soldier Killed in 
the War Between the North 
and South." Any of the old 
soldiers of the 16th Ga. Regt. 
will recollect the circumstances 
of this, the first battle of the war. 



^->5^|^^-«- 



The First Confiscation Act. 



THE first case under the confiscation 
act came up July 23, 1863. It was 
tliat of the property of Dr. Garuett, 
a son-in-law of Henry A. Wise. 



FIRST MEDALS OF HONOR. 



T' 



'HE first medals of honor awarded 
by the War Department were given 
to members of the 2d, 21st, and 33d 
Ohio Regts. 



An Officer who Meant Business. 



LONGEST PONTOON BRIDGE. 



"•^HE first officer to resign his posi- 
tion in the United States army 
for the purpose of participating in the 
rebellion, was Wm. H. T. Walker, of 
Georgia, who subsequently became a 
major-general, and was killed in the 
battle before Atlanta, July 22, 1864. 



'Op' HE longest pontoon bridge ever 
constructed in this country, was 
built by Co. F, 15th N. Y. Vols. It ex- 
tended across the Chickahominy, and 
was used on the occasion of McClel- 
lan's withdrawing his troops from Har- 
rison's Landing. 



'^^^-^^:m^.^p^-^ 



Some Gallant Deeds of Brave Men. 




Instances of Heroism which the Gunner's Act at Alexandria Calls Up. 

' ONOR to the brave gunner on board the Brit- 
ish man-of-war at Alexandria who picked up 
a shell with a burning fuse and immersed it 
in a bucket of water. This was a courage- 
ous act, but it was not " more gallant than 
anything of the sort ever before chronicled." 
During our own war for the Union hundreds 
of cases as deserving of mention occurred. 

At Stone river, when Croft's brigade of Palmer's division 
was pursuing the routed rebels on the 2d of January, they 
came suddenly on a reserve battery that opened on them with 
surprising fury. The men were ordered to lie down, and 
dropped in the soft mud of a corn-field. The rebel artillerymen 
had the range, however, and poured shot and shell into the ad- 
vance line in a way that tore some unfortunates in pieces and 
covered nearly every one with mud. In the midst of the ter- 
rific fusillade a shell struck between two men lying flat on the 
ground so near to their heads as to stun both. Dozens of men, 
the bravest there, closed their eyes in anticipation of the terri- 
ble scene that would follow the explosion. But one of the sol- 
diers at whose shoulder the smoking shell had struck, digging 
up a handful of mud, held it aloft for a moment while he said 
coolly: "Ten to one, boys, she don't bust," and then with a 
sort of gleeful agility he brought his great wad of mud down 
on the shell smoking in the shallow hole, and " she didn't bust." 
No one thought George Hunt, of Co. C, 1st Ky. Inf., a hero 
for doing that, but possibly he ranked as high as the courageous 
gunner on the Alexandra. 

Another case: When Sherman was getting ready for his 
move on Atlanta great quantities of ammunition were stored 
in the railroad sheds at Resaca. One day, in the midst of a 

(528) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



529 



thunder-storm that dismantled the camp, the ammunition 
huilding was struck by lightning. Hundreds of the bravest 
soldiers ran blindly away as they saw the boxes of shell thrown 
about, saw the guards drop as if shot, and saw smoke issuing 
from the top of the great pile of explosives. But one man, 
clear-eyed and cool-headed, saw that the smoke came from tow 
in which the shells were packed and, climbing to the top, seized 
the burning mass, and holding it up shouted: " All right, 
boys; no fireworks this time." His intrepidity and alertness 
saved the ammunition and possibly many lives, and his record 
should be kept as green as that of the gallant gunner of the 
Alexandra. 



sS^sr 




rz^?D 



GRANT'S SENTENCE UPON LIEUTENANT WICKFIELD, 



The Only Johe Ever Ktioivn to have been Perpetrated hy the 
Distinguished Author. 




|HEN Grant was a brig- 
adier in southwest 
Missouri, he com- 
manded an expedition against 
Jeff. Thompson, in northern 
Arkansas. His command 
had marched for two days 
through a country almost bar- 
ren of subsistence, and as offi- 
cers, unlike the men in the 
ranks, generally depended on 
the country for their supplies, 
there were many empty stom- 
achs among them. Lieutenant 
Wickfield, of an Indiana cav- 
alry regiment, commanded the 
advance guard. About noon 
on the third day he arrived at 

34 



a neat farm house at which he 
judged something fit to eat 
might be had. Grant's fame 
had already gone out in that 
country, and our lieutenant 
thought to better his chances 
by passing himself and com- 
panions as the general and his 
staff. Assuming an austere 
demeanor, he announced him- 
self as Brigadier - General 
Grant, and ordered dinner to 
be served. The awe-struck in- 
mates obeyed, and presently 
the adventurers had set before 
them the best the house af- 
forded. Everything was de- 
voured, and payment having 



530 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



been declined, Wickfield and 
his men rode on. Towards 
night Grant, in a famished con- 
dition, alighted at the same 
liouse and modestly inquired if 
he could have a meal cooked. 

"No," said a female in a 
shrill voice, " General Grant 
and his staff have just been 
here and eaten everything in 
the house except one pumpkin 
pie." 

" Humph," murmured Grant. 
''What is your name?" 

" Selvidge," replied the wo- 
man. 

When the camping ground 
had been selected that evening, 
and the men were busy prepar- 
ing their bivouac, suddenly the 
order rang through all the 
camp, " Fall in!" 

Instantly all were under arms 
and in rank, breathlessly await- 
ing an attack from the enemy, 
which was supposed to be the 



occasion of the sudden call to 
arms. Instead of this the ad- 
jutant of each regiment stepped 
to the front and read the fol- 
lowing order, which is believed 
to be the only joke ever perpe- 
trated by its distinguished au- 
thor. 

Headquarters, Army in the Field, 
Special Order, Xo. . 

Lieutenant Wickfield, of the 

Indiana cavalry, having this day eaten 
everything m Mrs. Selvidge's house, 
at the crossing of the Ironton, Poca- 
hontas, Black River, and Cape Girar- 
deau I'oads, excejit one pumpkin pie, he 
is hereby ordered to return with an 
escort of one hundred men and eat 
that pie also. 

U. S. Grant, 

Brigadier-General Commanding. 

Grant's orders were law, and 
there was nothing to do but for 
the lieutenant to obey, which 
he did literally amid the cheers 
of his escort. 



c^^^^. 




•2Hn> 



PARLIAMENT INVESTIGATION. 



A LOYAL CAVALRY OFFICER. 



milE first motion made in Parliament gOLONEL B. T. DAVIS, 8th N. Y. 



for an investigation into the legality 
of the sailing of the Alabama, Florida, 
and other privateers, was made by Mr. 
J. Shaw Lefevre, member of Reading, 
son of the late speaker. 



Cavalry, killed at Beverly Ford in 
June, 1863, was a Mississippian, and is 
said to have been the only cavalry 
officer of Southern birth in the Union 
army. 



MAJOR MULDOON'S DESCRIPTION OF THE GUN-SHY SOLDIER IN BATTLE. 



It IstiH Sweet to Die for One-s Country. — Tlie Gun- Shy 
3Ia n 's Epi taph . 



By MAJ. H. A. MULDOON. 






!^^^ 

fc- 







O much has been writ- 
ten concerning battlc- 

^^, field courage that tlie 
^^"^@ heavy artillery ap- 
proaches the subject with 
much trepidation. 

Beyond all question, if we 
had to rely solely on the book 
and newspaper accounts of 
field fighting we should be 
forced very close to the con- 
clusion that all soldiers are 
heroes and that a man's nat- 
ure radically changes as soon 
as he puts on a uniform and takes up a musket. 

Certainly man is pugnacious by nature, and most men are 
courageous. 

But war — especially the kind of war they got up down South 
— is not the normal condition of the average citizen, and we 
rather force conclusions when we assume that the cordwainer, 
the pickle-peddler, the lawyer, and the layman will stay at the 
front on his courage, with no other restraining infiuence. 

Indeed, the popular notion as to the amount and kind of 
courage the soldier displays on the battle field is not altogether 
correct. This will seem enough if you will but recall that one 
knows very little about war until one has been shot at by many. 

Sitting by a comfortable fire in a room with no draft, with 
your slippers on, with your consoling pipe and such other lux- 
uries as your purse and tastes may command (I bar none), it 
is not difficult to enthuse into a heap of patriotism over battles 
as they are recorded in the books. 

(331) 



532 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Just, my bird-shooting reader, as there are in these United 
States upwards of two millions of voters who can kill ninety- 
eight out of a hundred ruffled grouse on the wing — with their 
lips. 

The writer hereof well remembers when a boy to have read a 
sort of half-romantic account of Napoleon's campaigns, which 
so filled him with martial enthusiasm that he slept only to 
dream of the clashing of steel, which don't clash, the rattling 
of drums, which don't rattle, and the braying of trumpets, 
which don't bray, on the battle field. 

So doth the swift- winged grouse frequently — more frequently 
than otherwise — hie him to his native lair even after the blue 
smoke from the breech-loader hath skyward curled. 

Ah! how easily, when the regiment is marching through your 
streets to the front, in the midst of the music of bands, the 
waving of flags, the cheers of men and the smiles of women — 
yes, she smiled and smiled. Heaven bless her! though her heart 
was breaking and the tears would come — how easily, I say, 
your kindly-disposed newspaper reporter sends the newly-made 
warrior right up to the cannon's mouth — in printers' ink! 

Peradventure, my friend, peradventure. 'Tis a long, long 
toddle up to an able-bodied cannon's mouth. 

And, for a cold solidly frozen fact, there is nothing in life so 
well calculated to remind one of home, and of all the charms 
and endearments of the domestic circle, as a minie bullet play- 
fully skipping about one's ear or a ten-pound shell disporting 
gayly just over one's head. 

Years ago some one wrote, and to make it as unintelligible as 
possible to the average taxpayer, they usually print it in Latin: — 

"'Tis sweet to die for one's country." 

The writer hereof, in this contribution to his country's war- 
like literature, begs leave to differ with the cheerful idiot who 
originated that assertion. 

It is not sweet to do any such thing. 

Of course the writer has not died for his country to any great 
extent, so that he speaks not from actual experience. 

Yet he has seen several others die for their country and they 
seemed not to like it a bit, and he insists that, while that senti- 
ment may look well on gravestones and monuments, the idea 
embodied in it is not one the average patriot absolutely hankers 
to put into practice. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES, 533 

Appreciative reader, discipline keeps one class of men in a 
fight; the other class comprises all those who stay there and 
take their chances of getting shot because it is easier to do that 
than to go to the rear and meet the charge of cowardice. 

'Tis a sad comment on our race, yet such is the heart-rending 
fact, that there are men whom neither discipline, nor love of 
country, nor sneers, nor taunts, nor anything else, excepting a 
rope, will keep in a fight. So do we see, now and then, a setter 
dog, the well marked descendant of a long line of aristocratic 
dogs accustomed to the gun, that is, gun shy. 

There was a gun-shy man in the heavy artillery. 

He joined that patriotic body just before the last Wilderness 
fighting, which, I shall willingly admit, was not especially 
adapted to give him a cheerful insight into the business. 

The very first shell that plowed its rough furrow through our 
ranks after he put on the blue took him to the rear like a sky- 
rocket. 

He had no particular business at the rear. 

He said afterwards that in going to the rear he was only ac- 
tuated by a desire to ascertain just how far a shell would tres- 
pass on a man's land when it got its back up. 

Let it be recorded right here that he was an intelligent, sen- 
sible, and educated citizen, but he was gun shy. 

However, he hung round the outskirts of the artillery until 
we reached Cool Arbor — a spot, of all the spots that were ever 
known, the most outrageously misnamed. 

The writer hereof makes that assertion from well-grounded 
and deep-seated convictions. 

Twice during those bickerings it was his fortune to spend a 
few days at that celebrated Southern summer resort. 

It may have been cool there in the winter, years ago, in the 
glacial period; it may have been cool there in the summer, but 
in that summer time when he was there, it was not cool. 

No! It was hot. 

It was very hot — red hot. And there was no arbor, no shade 
of any kind. 

The gun-shy man, with sagacity that was in some respects 
commendable, but not precisely practicable to all of us, at once 
dug a hole in the soft and attractive earth. Deep down in the 
very bottom of that hole the gun-shy man established himself. 

It was not a pleasant position. 



534 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

It gave him the cramp in the legs, and led his associates to 
liken him to a woodchuck. 

But what cared he for jibes or sneers? 

Lay not the flattering unction to your soul that there can be 
a hole too deep for a Southern shell to penetrate or a tree too 
high for a Southern bullet to climb. 

Such was the experience of the gun-shy man. 

For it came about after a few days of rather unpleasant but 
unremitting interchange of lead and iron, the people on the 
other side mounted their artillery so that they shot their Con- 
federate valentines into the air and kindly allowed them to 
drop into our very midst, in half circles of the most beautiful 
but heart-rending proportions. This was too much for the gun- 
shy man. 

One morning when they took him his hardtack and coffee he 
had no use for them. Partly from exposure, but mostly from 
fright, he had crossed the dark river. 

True, he counted not much for a soldier living, but dead, he 
was entitled at least to a small portion of the broad mantle of 
charity that belongs to humanity. 

They made him a rude coffin from ammunition boxes. 

In the expressive vernacular of those heartless times they 
planted him in the hole he had dug with his own hands. Then 
they sought from their commander a suitable inscription for 
his headboard. 

Thinking that it might gratify the relatives of the gun-shy 
man to hear that we had paid some little respect to his mem- 
ory, the commander of the heavy artillery suggested for an 

inscription : — 

On fame's eternal camping ground 

Tlieir silent tents are spread ; 
And glory guards with solemn round 

The bivouac of the dead. 

The suggestion was favorably received and the inscription 
duly inscribed on the headboard. 

But during the first night after the burial some patriot, who 
evidently regarded the subject from his own standpoint, added 
the word "beat " after the word " dead " in the last line. 

So that the inscription, as finally amended, while it may have 
been strictly in accordance with the truth, was not exactly 
such as we had intended. 



SOLDIER*-LIFE. 



SOME OF ITS SCENES AS DEPICTED BY A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER, 



INCIDENTS OF THE MARCH AND THE BATTLE, BY A MAN WHO HAS 
SEEN HARD SERVICE IN THE CONFEDERATE ARMY. 

CARLTON KlcCARTHY, 

Private 2(1 Company of Bichiuoiid Hoivitzers, Author of "Soldier Life in the Army of 

Northern Va., '61-5. 






iRDERS to move! Where? when? what for?— are the 
eager questions of the men as they begin their prep- 
j)M arations to march. Generally, nobody can answer, and 
the journey is commenced in utter ignorance of where it is to 
end. But shrewd guesses are made and scraps of information 
will be picked up on the way. The main thought must be to 
"get ready to move." The orderly sergeant is shouting "Fall 
in!" and there is no time to lose. The probability is that, 
before you get your blanket rolled up, find your frying-pan, 
haversack, axe, etc., and "fall in," the roll-call will be over, 
and some " extra duty " provided. No wonder there is bustle 
in the camp. Rapid decisions are to be made between the vari- 
ous conveniences which have accumulated, for some must be 
left. One fellow picks up the skillet, holds it awhile, mentally 
determining how much it weighs, and what will be the weight of 
it after carrying it five miles, and reluctantly, with a half 
ashamed, sly look, drops it and takes his place in the ranks. 
Another, having added to his store of blankets too freely, now 
has to decide which of the two or three he will leave. The old 
water bucket looks large and heavy, but one stout-hearted, 
strong-armed man has taken it affectionately to his care. This 
is the time to say farewell to the bread tray; farewell to the 
little piles of clean straw laid between two logs, w^here it was 
so easy to sleep; farewell to those piles of wood, cut with so 

(535) 



536 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

much labor; farewell to the girls in the neighborhood; farewell 
to the spring; farewell to " our tree" and "our fire"; good-by 
to the fellows who are not going, and a general good-by to the 
very hills and valleys. Soldiers commonly threw away the 
most valuable article they possessed. Blankets, overcoats, 
shoes, bread and meat — all gave way to the necessities of the 
march; and what one man threw away would frequently be the 
very article that another wanted, and would immediately pick 
up; so there was not much lost after all. The first hour or so 
of the march was generally quite orderly, the men preserving 
their places in the ranks and marching in solid column; but 
soon some lively fellow whistles an air, somebody else starts a 
song, the whole column breaks out with roars of laughter; 
"route step'' takes the place of order, and the jolly singing, 
laughing, talking, and jokingthat follow, no one could describe. 
Now, let any young officer who sports a new hat, coat, saddle, 
or anything odd or fine, dare to pass along, and how nicely he 
is attended to. The expressions of good natured fun, or con- 
tempt, which one regiment of infantry was capable of uttering 
in a day for the benefit of such passers-by, would fill a volume. 
As one thing or another in the dress of the " subject " of their 
remarks attracted attention, they would shout: " Come out of 
that hat! — can't hide in thar! " "Come out of that coat, 
come out — there's a man in it!" "Come out of them boots!" 
The infantry seemed to know exactly what to say to torment 
cavalry and artillery, and generally said it. If any one on the 
roadside was simple enough to recognize and address by name 
a man in the ranks, the whole column would kindly respond, 
and add all sorts of pleasant remarks, such as: " Hello, John, 
here's your brother! " " Bill! oh, Bill! here's your ma! " " Glad 
to see you!" "How's your grandma?" "How d'ye do!" "Come 
out of that biled shirt ! " Troops on the march were generally 
so cheerful and gay that an outsider, looking on them as they 
marched, would hardly imagine how they suffered. In sum- 
mer time, the dust, combined with the heat, caused great 
suffering. The nostrils of the men, filled with dust, became 
dry and feverish, and even the throat did not escape. The 
" grit" was felt between the teeth, and the eyes were rendered 
almost useless. There was dust in eyes, mouth, ears and hair. 
The shoes were full of sand, and the dust, penetrating the 
clothes, and getting in at the neck, wrists, and ankles, mixed 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 637 

with perspiration, produced an irritant almost as active as 
cantharides. The heat was at times terrific, but the men 
became greatly accustomed to it, and endured it with wonder- 
ful ease. If the dust and the heat were not on hand, their very 
able substitutes were: mud, cold, rain, snow, hail, and wind 
took their places. Rain was the greatest discomfort a soldier 
could have; it was more uncomfortable than the severest cold 
with clear weather. Wet clothes, shoes and blankets; wet 
meat and bread; wet feet and wet ground; wet wood to burn, 
or rather not to burn; wet arms and ammunition; wet ground to 
sleep on, and mud to wade through, swollen creeks to ford, 
muddy springs and a thousand other discomforts attended the 
rain. There was no comfort on a rainy day or night, except in 
" bed," that is, under your blanket and oil cloth. Cold winds, 
blowing the rain in the faces of the men, increased the discom- 
fort. Mud was often so deep as to submerge the horses and 
mules, and, at times, it was necessary for one man or more to 
extricate another from the mud holes in the road. 

Night marching was attended with additional discomforts 
and dangers, such as falling off bridges, stumbling into 
ditches, tearing the face and injuring the eyes against the 
bushes and projecting limbs of trees, and getting separated 
from your own company and hopelessly lost in the multitude. 
Of course, a man lost had no sympathy. If he dared to ask 
a question, every man in hearing would answer, each differ- 
ently, and then the whole multitude would roar with laughter 
at the lost man, and ask him if his mother knew he was 
out? Very few men, the writer tells us, had comfortable or 
fitting shoes, and fewer had socks, and, as a consequence, the 
suffering from bruised and inflamed feet was terrible. It was 
a common practice, on long marches, for the men to take off 
their shoes and carry them in their hands or swung over their 
shoulder. Bloody footprints in the snow were not unknown to 
the soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia! When large 
bodies of troops were moving on the same road, the alternate 
''halt" and " forward " were very harassing. Every obstacle 
produced a halt, and caused the men at once to sit and lie 
down on the roadside where shade or grass tempted them; 
about the time they got fixed they would hear the word " for- 
ward," and then have to move at increased speed to close up 
the gap in the column. About noon, on a hot day, some fel- 



538 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

low with the water instinct would determine in his own mind 
that a well was not far ahead, and start off on a trot to reach 
it before the column. Of course, another and another fol- 
lowed, till a stream of men were hurrying to the well, which 
was soon completely surrounded by a thirsty mob, yelling and 
pushing and pulling to get to the bucket as the windlass 
brought it again and again to the surface. It was in vain that 
the officers tried to stop the stream of men making for the 
water, and equally vain to attempt to move the crowd while 
a drop remained accessible. As the men tired, there was less and 
less talking, until the whole mass became quiet and serious. Each 
man was occupied with his own thoughts. For miles nothing 
could be heard but the steady tramp of the men, the rattling 
and jingling of canteens and accoutrements, and the occasional 
" Close up, men,— close up!" of the officers. The most refresh- 
ing incidents of the march occurred when the column entered 
some clean, cosy village, where the people loved the troops. 
Matron and maid vied with each other, in their efforts to 
express their devotion to the defenders of their cause. Remem- 
bering with tearful eyes the absent soldier, brother, or hus- 
band, they yet smiled through their tears, and with hearts 
and voices welcomed the coming of the road-stained troops. 
Their scanty larders poured out the last morsel, and their 
bravest words were spoken as the column moved by. As even- 
ing came on, questioning of the officers was in order. After 
all, the march had more pleasure than pain. Chosen friends 
walked and talked and smoked together; the hills and valleys 
made themselves a panorama for the feasting of the soldiers' 
eyes; a turnip patch here, and an onion patch there, invited 
him to occasional refreshment, and it was sweet to think that 
" camp " was near at hand and rest, and the journey almost 
ended. 

FUN AND FURY ON THE FIELD. 

A battle field, when only a few thousand of men are engaged, 
is a more extensive area than most persons would suppose. 
When large bodies of men— 20,000 to 50,000 on each side— are 
engaged, a mounted man, at liberty to gallop from place to 
place, could scarcely travel the field over during the continu- 
ance of the battle, and a private soldier, in the smallest affair, 
sees very little indeed of the field. What occurs in his own 
regiment, or probably in his own company, is about all, and is 



I 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 539 

sometimes more than he actually sees or knows. Thus it is 
that, while the field is extensive, it is to each individual lim- 
ited to the narrow space of which he is cognizant. The column, 
hitlierto moving forward with the steadiness of a mighty 
river, hesitates, halts, steps back, then forward, hesitates 
again, halts. The colonels talk to the brigadiers, the brigadiers 
talk to the major-general, some officers hurry forward and 
others hurry to the rear. Infantry stands to one side of the 
road while cavalry trots to the front. Now, some old 
wagons marked " Ord. Dept." go creaking and rumbling by. 
One or two light ambulances, with a gay and careless air, 
seem to trip along with the ease of a dancing girl. They and 
the surgeons seem cheerful. Some, not many, ask: '" What is 
the matter?" Most of the men there know exactly; they are 
on the edge of a battle. Presently a very quiet, almost sleepy 
looking man on horseback says, "Forward, I'JthI" and away 
goes the leading regiment. A little way ahead, the regiment 
jumps a fence, and — pop! bang! whiz! thud! is all that can be 
heard, until the rebel yell reverberates tlirough the woods. 
Battle? No! Skirmishers advancing. Step into the woods 
now and watch these skirmishers. See how cheerfully they go 
in. How rapidly they load, fire, and reload. They stand six and 
twelve feet apart, calling to each other, laughing, shouting, 
and cheering, but advancing. There, one fellow has dropped 
his musket like something red hot. His finger is shot away. 
His friends congratulate him, and he walks sadly away to the 
rear. Another staggers and falls with a ball through his neck, 
mortally wounded. Two comrades raise him to his feet and 
try to lead him away, but one of them receives a ball in his 
thigh which crushes the bone, and he falls groaning to the 
ground. 

The other advises his poor, dying friend to lie down, helps 
him to do so and runs to join his advancing comrades. When 
he overtakes them he finds every man securely posted behind a 
tree, loading, firing, and conducting himself generally with 
great deliberation and prudence. They have at last driven the 
enemy's skirmishers in upon the line of battle, and are wait- 
ing. A score of men have fallen here, some killed outright; 
some slightly, some sorely, and some mortally wounded. The 
elements now add to the horrors of the hour. Dense clouds, 
hovering near the tree tops, add deeper shadows to the woods. 



540 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Thunder, deep and ominous, rolls in prolonged peals across 
the sky, and lurid lightning darts among the trees and 
glistens on the gun barrels. But still they stand. Now, a 
battery has been hurried into position, the heavy trails have 
fallen to the ground, and, at the command, " Commence 
firing!" the cannoneers have stepped in briskly and loaded. 
The first gun blazes at the muzzle, and away goes a shell. The 
poor fellows in the woods rejoice as it crashes through the 
trees over their heads, and cheer when it explodes over the 
enemy's line. Now, what a chorus! Thunder, gun after gun, 
shell after shell, musketry, pelting rain, shouts, groans, cheers, 
and commands! But help is coming. At the edge of the wood, 
where the skirmishers entered, the brigade is in line. Some- 
body has ordered, "Load!" The ramrods glisten and rattle 
down the barrels of 1000 muskets. " F-o-o-o-o-r-r-r-r-w-a-a-a- 
r-r-d! " is the next command, and the brigade disappears in the 
woods, the canteens rattling, the bushes crackling, and the 
officers never ceasing to say: " Close up, men; close up! 
Guide c-e-n-t-r-r-r-r-e! " The men on that skirmish line have at 
last found it advisable to lie down at full length on the ground, 
though it is so wet, and place their heads against the trees in 
front. They cannot advance and they cannot retire without, in 
either case, exposing themselves to almost certain death. They 
are waiting for the line of battle to come to their relief. At last, 
before they see, they hear the line advancing through the pines. 
The snapping of the twigs, the neighing of horses, and hoarse 
commands, inspire a husky cheer, and when the line of the old 
brigade breaks through the trees in full view, they fairly yell! 
Every man jumps to his feet, the brigade presses firmly for- 
ward, and soon the roll of musketry tells all who are waiting to 
hear that serious work is progressing down in the woods. All 
honor to the devoted infantry. The hour of glor}^ has arrived for 
couriers, aides-de-camp, and staff officers generally. They 
dash about from place to place like spirits of unrest. Brigade 
after brigade, and division after division is hurried into line, 
and pressed forward into action. Battalions of artillery open 
fire from the crests of many hills, and the battle has begun. 
Ammunition trains climb impassable places, cross ditches with- 
out bridges, and manage somehow to place themselves in 
reach of the troops. Ambulances, which only an hour ago went 
gayly forward, now slowly and solemnly return loaded. Shells 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



541 



and musket balls, which must have lost their way, go flitting 
about here and there, wounding and killing men who deem 
themselves far away from danger. Among the anecdotes told 
is one which occurred at the battle of the Wilderness, in May, 
1864, when a North Carolinian precipitated a severe fight by ask- 
ing a very simple and reasonable question. The line of battle 
had been pressed forward and was in close proximity to the 
enemy. Everything was hushed and still. No one dared to 
speak above a whisper. It was evening and growing dark. 
As the men lay on the ground, keenly sensible to every sound 
and anxiously waiting, they heard the firm tread of a man 
walking along the line. As he walked they heard also the 
jingle-jangle of a pile of canteens around his neck. He ad- 
vanced with deliberation to within a few yards of the line, and 
opened a terrific fight by quietly saying: " Can any one of 
you fellows tell a man whar he can get 'some water?" 
Instantly the thicket was illuminated by a fiash of a thousand 
muskets, the men leaped to their feet, the officers shouted, and 
the battle was begun. Neither side would yield, and there they 
fought till many died. 



General Sumner and His Son at Antietam. 



?N incident is related bj^ a veteran, 
of General Sumner, at Antietam. 
His son, young Captain Sum- 
ner, a youth of twenty-one, was 
on his staff. The old man calmly 
stood amidst a storm of shot and 
shells, and turned to send him through 
a doubly raging fire upon a mission of 
duty. He might never see his boy again, 
but his country claimed his life, and 
as he looked upon his young brow he 



grasped his hand, encircled him with 
his arms and fondly kissed him. " Good- 
by, Sammy." " Good-by, father," and 
the youth, mounting his horse, rode 
gayly on his message. He returned 
unharmed, and again his hand was 
grasped with a cordial " How d'ye 
do, Sannny? " answered by a grasp of 
equal affection. 

The scene was touching to those 
around. 




H O W 



Rivers are Bridged for Retreating Armies. 



WINTER QUARTERS AND THEIR DANl^ERS. 



HOW GREAT ARMIES ARE GUARDED IN CANTONMENTS. 



VETERAN." 



. , .<^y. . .v-^X '. -x-TOv. . X-J!^^. . .<W/, . .<^,..^y 



^^^XCITEMENT, demoralization, and utter rout have fre- 
)^^ quently attended the arrival of an army on a river's 
bank. Most of the great catastrophes to either side in 
the war of the rebellion were strategically or tactically 
identified with rivers which are now gradually or mournfully 
historic. Ball's Bluff and the Potomac are inseparably joined, 
so are Fredericksburg and the Rappahannock, Vicksburg and 
the Mississippi, the seven days' battles and the Chickahominy, 
the Wilderness and the Rapidan. The dreadful strain, the 
wonderful romance, and the practical pivots of the great war 
were experienced and found on these and other streams of the 
Sunny South. Brilliant maneuver and desperate struggle, de- 
veloped by one or both armies, from month to month and 
through the years of contest, marked the progress of the Amer- 
ican citizen in the art of war. Rivers were the great obstacle 
teachers at whose feet the greatest names in tlie country were 
obliged to prostrate themselves in a humiliation of tutelage. 
from which some of them never arose to renown or even to a 
command. One Red River campaign is enough for any man. 
The passage of a river in retreat is an operation of the greatest 
interest. If the stream is narrow, and there are permanent 
bridges over it, the operation is nothing more than the passage 
of a defile, but when the river is wide, and is to be crossed on a 
temporary military bridge, it is a maneuver of extreme 
delicacy. Among the precautions to betaken, a very important 

(542) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 543 

one is to get the parks, the wagons, and the reserve artillery 
well advanced, so that they may be well out of the way of the 
army. For this purpose it is well for the army to halt a half- 
day's march from the river. This excellent rule of war would 
hardly have availed Jubal Early in his ruinous flight, when at- 
tempting to cross Cedar creek with Sheridan at his heels, an 
instance where the pursuer was at the crossing about as soon 
as the pursued army, or rather mob, for all organization was 
destroyed. But in spite of Early the rule holds good. The rear 
guard should also keep at more than the usual distance from the 
main army — as far, in fact, as the conditions will allow. If 
these precautions are secured, the army may file across the 
bridge without being too much worried. The march of the 
rear guard should be so arranged that it will reach a position in 
front of the bridge just as the last of the main body passes. 
This will be a suitable moment for relieving the rear guard 
with fresh troops strongly posted, the rear guard passing 
through the intervals of the fresh troops and crossing the 
bridge. The enemy coming up and being confronted by fresh 
troops, strongly posted, ready to give battle, will not attempt 
to press them too closely. The new rear guard will hold its 
position until night, and will then cross the river, destroying 
the bridges after it. It is, of course, understood that, as fast as 
the troops cross, they will form on the opposite bank, plant 
batteries, etc., if the enemy is demonstrative, so as to protect 
the corps left to hold the enemy in check. The dangers of such 
a passage in retreat, and the nature of the precavitions which 
facilitate it, indicate that measures should always be taken to 
throw up intrenchments at the point where the bridge is to be 
constructed and the passage made. When time is not allowed 
for the construction of a regular tete de pont, a few well armed 
redoubts, or the rudest sort of breastworks, will be found of great 
value in covering the retreat of the last troops. If the passage 
of a large river is so difficult when the enemy is pressing only 
on the rear of the column, it is far more so when the army is 
threatened both in the front and rear, and the river is guarded 
by the enemy in force. The celebrated passage of the Beresina 
by the French is one of the most remarkable examples of such 
an operation. Never was an army in a more desperate con- 
dition, and never was one extricated more gloriously and skill- 
fully. Pressed by famine, benumbed with cold, distant 1,200 



544 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

miles from its base of operations, assailed by the enemy in front 
and in rear, having a river with marshy banks in front, sur- 
rounded by vast forests, how could it hope to escape? It paid 
dearly for the honor it gained. The mistake of Admiral 
Tschitchagoff doubtless helped its escape, but the army per- 
formed heroic deeds, for which due praise should be given. 
"It is difficult to tell which to admire most," says Baron 
Jomini, "the plan of operations which brought up the Russian 
armies from Moldavia, Moscow, and from Polotzk to the Beresina 
as to a rendezvous arranged in a time of peace — a plan which 
came near to effecting the capture of their formidable adver- 
sary — or the wonderful firmness of the lion thus pursued, who 
succeeded in opening a way through his enemies." 

The only rules to be laid down are not to permit your army 
to be closely pressed upon, to deceive the enemy as to the point 
of passage, and to fall headlong upon the corps which bars the 
way before the one which is following the rear of your columns 
can come up. Never place yourself in a position to be exposed 
to such danger, for escape is rare in such a case. If a retreat- 
ing army should try to protect its bridges by redoubts or other- 
wise, it is natural, also, that the pursuing enemy should use 
every effort to destroy the bridges. When the retreat is made 
down the bank of a river, wooden houses may be thrown into 
the stream, also fireships, etc. In 1796 the Austrians used mills, 
sending them down stream upon Jourdan's army on the Rhine. 
The Archduke Charles did the same thing at Essling in 1800, 
where he broke the bridge over the Danube and brought Na- 
poleon to the brink of ruin. It is difficult to secure a bridge 
against attacks of this character unless there is time to place a 
stockade above it. Boats may be anchored, provided with ropes 
and grappling hooks and with means for extinguishing fire- 
boats. 

It is to be observed that the pontoon system as employed by 
the armies of the war of the rebellion, obviates largely the 
difficulties here referred to. A pontoon bridge is so flexible a 
contrivance that an opening may easily and quickly be made 
to allow destructive floats to pass harmless by. This would 
be so obvious to an enemy that he would scarcely waste his 
time, except where exceptional conditions favored such an en- 
terprise, in making the attempt. Certainly at Fredericksburg 
the rebel army under the admirable cover of the buildings on 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 545 

the banks of the Rappahannock, enjoyed peculiar facilities for 
opposing the laying of a bridge. It was laid, however, by the 
Union engineers, in the very teeth of an alert foe and a cross- 
ing effected. That branch of the art of war which pertains to 
bridge building has advanced rapidly within fifty years. This 
is especially true of railroad bridges, which were, of course, 
entirely unknown half a century ago. 

WINTER QUARTERS. 

Formerly, in European countries, it was usual for each party 
to go into winter quarters at the end of October, and all the fight- 
ing after that was of a partisan character, carried on by the 
advanced troops at the outposts. This habit was violently 
broken in upon by Frederick and Napoleon, and all Europe was 
surprised at this innovation. Attacks from outpost forces were 
previously often severe and sometimes disastrous. The surprise 
of the Austrian winter quarters in upper Alsace in 1674, by 
Turenne, is a good example from which may be learned the 
best method of conducting such an enterprise, and the precau- 
tions to be taken by the other side to prevent its success. The 
question of cantonments or winter quarters is a difficult one 
with a war carried on actively, however connected the ar- 
rangements may be, and there is almost always some point ex- 
posed to the enemy's attack. Formerly, a country where large 
towns abounded presented more facilities for the establishment, 
of winter quarters than any other, but the building of military 
railroads and the use of steam transports on sea and river, 
have completely revolutionized this branch of the service, so 
that if wood is plentiful and a base not too distant, a big army 
may encamp for the winter in a wilderness. Old methods of 
sustaining an army in winter have been largely superseded by 
the appliances and expedients which steam has made practi- 
cable. The railroads and streams of Virginia, Kentucky, and 
Tennessee pre-eminently exemplify modern methods. In the 
war of the rebellion, strategic points and communications de- 
cided positions for winter quarters in most cases, while, in the 
first three winters in the East, the Southern commander dic- 
tated the cantonments of the Northern armies to a great extent. 
In Tennessee it was the reverse. Most of the rivers above 
named became famous as the scenes of great improvised cities, 
populous and full of life and encampment animation, only to be 

35 



546 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

utterly and forever deserted in an hour when the next cam- 
paign burst upon the theater of war. Manassas. Centreville, 
tlie Rappahannock, the Rapidan, and about Petersburg were 
winter homes for the vast hosts of Northern and Southern sol- 
diers through several eventful winters, while through Ten- 
nessee, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and North Carolina, 
great armies found briefer or longer cantonments. Some of 
the Union generals tried to avoid the long inaction of a whole 
winter in strict winter quarters, notably Burnside, but his cam- 
paign in the mud was neither forgotten nor repeated, although 
some brilliant cavalry raids were made while the great bulk of 
the army was in stockades, made more comfortable than those 
at home could believe. Through the northern belt of the great 
conflict, the troops were obliged to protect themselves from 
severe cold, and the writer well remembers the intense suffer- 
ing experienced by forces in northern Virginia repelling rebel 
raids, with onl}^ the protection at night of shelter tents. But 
throughout the greater portion of the theater of war, the inac- 
tion of the winter was more occasioned by rain and mud than 
by any conditions of temperature, while in the far South there 
was no such thing as sending an army into winter quarters. 
There were periods of inaction, however, which might well 
correspond to winter torpor. Without especial reference to any 
particular war or latitude, the best general rules seem to be 
the following: Establish the cantonments very compactly and. 
connectedly, occupying a space as broad as long, in order to 
avoid having a too extended line of troops, which is always 
easily broken through and cannot be concentrated in time. 
Cover them by a river or by an outer line of troops in huts, and 
with their position strengthened by field works. Fix upon 
points of assembly, which all the troops can reach before the 
enemy can penetrate so far. Keep all the avenues by wdiich 
an enemy may approach constantly patrolled by bodies of 
cavalry. Finally, establish signals to give warning of any at- 
tack. This last rule was fully in force before the use of the 
electric telegraph, and was to a considerable extent essential 
during the rebellion. 

In the year 1807 Napoleon established his army in canton- 
ments behind the Passarge, in face of the enemy, the advance 
guard alone being hutted near the cities of Gulstadt, Osterode, 
etc. The army numbered more than 120,000 men, and much 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 547 

skill was requisite in feeding it and keeping it otherwise com- 
fortable in this position until June. The country was of a 
favorable character, but such is not always the case. 

The difficulty increases with the size of the army. It must 
be observed, however, that if the extent of the country occu- 
pied increases in proportion to the numbers of the army, the 
means of opposing an irruption of the enemy increases in the 
same proportion. The important point is to be able to assemble a 
large force in twenty-four hours. With such an army in hand, 
and with the certainty of having it rapidly increased, the 
enemy may be held in check, no matter how strong he may be, 
until the whole army is assembled. It must be admitted, how- 
ever, that there will always be a risk in going into winter quar- 
ters if the enemy keeps his army in a body and seems inclined 
to make offensive movements, and the conclusion to be drawn 
from this fact is that the only method of giving secure repose 
to an army in winter or in the midst of a campaign is to estab- 
lish it in quarters protected by a river, or else to secure an 
armistice. During the first winter of the rebellion the rebel 
armies were quite secure in their repose, especially in Virginia, 
by the fear they engendered in the minds of the commanders 
of the Union forces. In Kentucky and Tennessee, at the same 
time, Grant was not in winter quarters at all, but was pushing 
things wonderfully, and laid siege to and captured Donelson in 
the midst of snow-storms and freezing cold. In the strategic 
positions taken up by an army in the course of a campaign, 
whether marching or acting as an army of observation, or wait- 
ing for a favorable opportunity for taking the offensive, it will 
probably occupy quite compact cantonments. The selection of 
such positions requires great experience upon the part of a 
general, in order that he may form correct conclusions 
as to what he may expect the enemy to do. An army 
should occupy space enough to enable it to subsist readily, and 
it should also keep as much concentrated as possible, to be 
ready for the enemy should he show himself, and these two 
conditions are by no means easily reconciled. On the continent 
the rule is that there is no better arrangement than to place the 
divisions of an army in a space nearly a square, so that, in case 
of need, the whole army may be assembled at any point where 
the enemy may present himself. Nine divisions placed in this 
way, half a day's march from each other, may in twelve hours 



548 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



assemble on the center. The same rules are to be observed in 
these cases as were laid down for winter quarters. In the late 
war in this country, more reliance was placed on ample breast- 
works than in a concentrated line, so that, whether in winter 
quarters or during temporary reposes in the midst of a cam- 
paign, some of the most elaborate operations at times consisted 
in the throwing up of strong earthworks. The Army of the 
Potomac doubtless retains a vivid recollection of " Quaker 
guns." 



MY FATHER'S UNKNOWN GRAVE. 

W. E. P. 



Q^HE teardrops trickle down my 
I© cheeks 

o^ As I sit thinking of the brave ; 
Ah me! I shudder now to think 

Of my father's unknown grave. 

He left his wife and children three, 
Whilst he his country went to save. 

How little did he think that he 

Would fill a soldier's unknown grave. 

I weep, but I am not alone, 

For thousands of the good and brave 
Are sleeping in some Southern clime, 

Where rise of earth scarce marks 
their grave. 

All these had friends who loved them 

well, 
And they in turn did their friends 

crave; 
Rut where are they, these noble men ? 
They died, and fill an unknown grave. 



Shall we not love these noble men. 
Shall we not call them honored dead ? 

What if their graves are all unknown, 
Can less be of their honor said ? 

Remember, we will soon be gone, 
To live always we would not crave; 

How many years shall pass away, 

Till ours shall be an unknown grave? 

But if in church-yard he did lay, 

Where I his bed with flowers could 
pave, 

I there would in my grief resort. 
And deck my father's lonely grave. 

May heaven smile on these soldiers 
dear, 
And foi' them all choice blessings 
save; 
For He above doth know the spot 

Where rests my sire in unknown 
grave. 




•3^/t> 



An English Steamer Captured. 

-fSHE HAD RUN THE BLOCKADE AT CHARLESTON THREE TIMES. 4- 



On Her Fourth Voyage to Help the Confederacy. 



A WELL=LAID PLAN THAT DIDN'T WORK. 

(BY THE SECOND MATE.) 

7/Xr. * ,.i^, *-iiTO. -^-OTfc .-iTOfr, jiTO'^ ..-aK^ »- 

§N the spring of 18G3, just after my return from a voyage to 
China and back in a British bark, I was loafing around 
<\^ Liverpool to wait for a berth, when one William Savage, 
an old sailor mate of mine, ran across me one evening and 
offered to ship me in a steamer which had run the blockade 
into Charleston three times, and was about to attempt a fourth 
trip. She was a fair sized side wheeler, called the Isle of 
Wight, and had nearly finished her loading. She carried a 
crew of about twenty men, and Savage was kind enough to say 
that I should be second mate, and that the«pay would be the 
highest I ever received. 

In a day or two I found that the steamer was loading with 
two or three field batteries, two large guns for cruisers, and an 
immense amount of other war material. When everything was 
aboard I heard it said that steamer and cargo were worth a 
full million dollars, and we were to touch at Nassau and take 
on three thousand muskets, a lot of hospital stores, and some 
odds and ends badly wanted by the Confederacy. Our crew 
were a riff-raff set, with nothing of the sailor about them, 
while the captain was a typical John Bull, named Graham, 

I heard it said that our venture was known to the American 
Minister, and that he promptly notified his Government, but no 
cruiser would have any business with us until we left Nassau. 
We made that port in due season, everything working smoothly, 
and although we took in our additional cargo inside of twenty- 
four hours, the steamer delayed her sailing to the fifth day, on 
account of a Yankee man-of-war hovering on the coast in hopes 

(549) 



550 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

to nab us. Meanwhile the crew had a jolly time among the 
taverns, and Savage and myself bore our full part. It was one 
evening when we were both the worse for liquor that he took 
me aside and began: — 

" William, I believe you to be a reliable man. You are poor, 
and I can put you in the way of handling a snug $35,000." 

His language sobered me up and astonished me. He beat 
around the bush for awhile and then came to the point, which 
he stated as follows: — 

" Here's a steamer and cargo worth at least $120,000. What's 
to prevent us from seizing her, making a Yankee port, and 
coming in for the prize money?" 

" Why, the captain and crew will prevent," I replied. 

"The captain may try to, but the crew are all right. I've 
sounded 'em to a man, and they'll stick by me." 

"Wouldn't it be mutiny and piracy?" 

" Exactly. If any of us are fools enough to return to En- 
gland we must stand our chances. The Yankees will be only 
too glad to welcome us." 

To my discredit, perhaps, I needed but little urging to join 
the conspiracy, and when we finall}^ put to sea, everything was 
ripe for the seizure. The pilot, who was a Southerner, was the 
only man besides the captain not in the plot. Savage had 
sounded him a bit* but found him loyal to the core, and gave 
him up. It was arranged that the seizure should take place at 
midnight. At that hour the pilot was asleep in his berth, the 
captain dozing with his clothes on, and the steamer was run- 
ning through a calm sea, with the stars shining overhead. As 
the moment arrived Savage and I went down to secure the cap- 
tain while two others went to take care of the pilot. The latter 
was the one who got the start of us. The men went down to 
find him just turning out, and though they threw themselves 
upon him he knocked them right and left and got up stairs to 
the pilot-house. There he was attacked by the two men at the 
wheel, but the row ended in his shooting one stone dead and 
bouncing the other out with a broken head. The racket raised 
by the pilot when first assaulted alarmed the captain, and he 
greeted us with a shower of bullets and forced us out of the 
cabin, Savage being shot in both the arm and leg. 

Then began a high old time. Every man of us had a revolver 
and we divided off so as to keep the captain below and the pilot 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 551 

in his house. The engineers and firemen quit their posts to 
take a hand, and in about an hour the steamer lay idle on the 
sea, having no longer any steam. We were now in for it and 
bound to have the craft. We could keep the captain below, 
but we must down the pilot. I should say that one hundred 
bullets were fired into the pilot house between midnight and 
daylight, but none of them wounded him. In return he killed 
one man and wounded two. When daylight came we were 
scattered about wherever we could find cover, and we opened 
on him again. It became evident, however, after we had 
wasted a good deal of lead that the only way to get him out 
was to make a rush. Nobody wanted to head one, as two or 
three. men were certain to be killed. We had him penned up, 
but he had us rolling on the sea as helpless as a log. 

It was about nine o'clock, and we had gone aft one by one for 
a bite to eat, when a Yankee blockader hove in sight. Indeed, 
when we first saw her she was only ten miles ofi". Less than an 
hour later she was alongside and we were all prisoners. We 
told our story, claiming, I believe, to have been incited to capt- 
ure the craft by patriotic motives, but all the prize money 
which we got out of it was three months in jail apiece. Either 
the story didn't wash or the Yankee commander didn't want 
to whack up on his rich haul. 

Historic N/Iasonic jewbls, 

TAKEN FROM FREDERICKSBURG LODGE, 1862. 



fllE lodge of Masons in which and A. M., of Pliiladelphia, in the safe 
George Washington was "initia- of that lodge, where it had been 
ted, passed and raised," Freder- deposited for safe keeping during the 
icksburg, No. 4, was pillaged in 18G2, war by a former member of Integrity 
when that town was attacked by hostile Lodge, who had recovered it from a 
soldiery, the lodge safe blown open and soldier, who acknowledged having taken 
the records, regalia, jewels, etc., car- it from the lodge room of No. 4. A 
ried off. Among the articles taken, note tacked to the jewel required its 
was an old jewel of solid silver in the delivery to No. 4, " when the state of 
form of a •' level," highly prized by the Virginia should cease to be in open re- 
lodge for its antiquity. The old relic bellion against the authority of the gov- 
was recently discovered by the secre- ernment of the United States." The 
tary of Integrity Lodge, No. 158, A. F. jewel has been returned to the lodge. 



'firee OqaiHst Sfiree R>MRdred. 



A THRILLING WAR STORY OF DEFEAT TURNED INTO VICTORY. 



REMEMBER an instance, says a writer in the State, where 
men showed cowardice and bravery almost at the same 
time, so quickly was the change made, showing that 
"^ neither valor nor fear is a fixed quality, but depends on the 
surroundings. Before daylight on the morning of April 2, 
1865, the 2d Corps was in line, and a general advance on the 
rebel works in front of Petersburg seemed imminent. The 
troops left the temporary breastworks that had been thrown up 
parallel to the White Oak road and advanced well up to the 
rebel picket line, which was about one hundred yards in 
advance of their main line. As it became light enough to see, 
a spluttering fire began between the two lines. One of the 
brigades of Mott's division was massed in a piece of woods 
west of the Boydton plank road, and the 8th N. J. was sent 
in to charge the intrenched picket line. This regiment had 
been re-enforced only a few days before by about three hundred 
green troops, many of them Germans, and not a few who were 
unable to speak English. They advanced to their work under 
cover of the woods in splendid shape, and the general com- 
manding the brigade remarked that this regiment would do 
something to be proud of. They advanced to the edge of the 
woods, delivered a volley, and charged across the open. They 
were allowed to almost reach the work, when a heavy fire was 
opened upon them. They broke, turned and ran, and came 
back through the woods literally like a drove of cattle. The 
general, with one aide and one orderly, was following up the 
movement on foot, and the three were in a small opening in 
the woods about as wide as the front of two companies. He 
acted promptly. " Draw your swords, gentlemen," he shouted, 
'• and beat back these fellows," and to the frightened runaways 
he ordered, " Get back, you cowards, or we will murder you!" 
The general had only a dress sword, but the other two had 
sabers, and drawing their weapons the three threw them- 
selves in front of the " drove," and, charging right and 
left, presented to the demoralized soldiers a new danger. 

(552) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 553 

The effect was magical. The sudden appearance of three 
men from an unexpected quarter, threatening death to three 
hundred, was so ridiculous that some of them stopped and com- 
menced to laugh. Others were hysterical and all hesitated. 
ISTo one attempted to get away from the determined trio who 
held the pass, and their officers, whom they ran over, as well as 
away from, coming up, the line was reformed. The general 
was furious to think that one of his regiments should act so, 
and insisted on leading them in person, to show them how 
soldiers should act. The men had entirely recovered from 
their panic, and said they would soon show him what they 
could do, and, without stopping to reload, they moved forward 
to tlie edge of the woods, and then, with a yell, charged across 
the ground over which they liad just fled in confusion, and car- 
ried the picket line at the point of the bayonet. They captured 
some prisoners, but the most of that picket made up their minds 
before the line reached them that this charge meant business, 
and fell back to the main line with all possible dispatch. 

The breastwork was promptly turned, and fire opened on the 
main line. The general ordered up the other regiments of 
Mott's third brigade, and as soon as they were up to the picket, 
'• Forward to the main line!" was ordered, and it was then a 
race to see who should first get there. The 11th Mass. was 
the first regiment to reach the main line, but the 8th Jer- 
sey's was the first flag planted on the works. An officer of that 
regiment who was serving on Gen. McAllisters staff rode up to 
the color bearer, seized the colors, and ran his horse in advance 
of the line and placed Jersey technically ahead of the Ba}'' 
State. Another aide offered to block the Jerseyman's game by 
racing him with the flag of the 11th, but the sturdy color bearer 
of the old nth refused the offer, with the remark, " Time enough 
to take my colors when I'm dead." The honors, however, 
belonged to Jersey for their gallant charge after their cowardly 
skedaddle. That was a great day for the old brigade, for they 
had broken the lines that had so long held them away from 
Petersburg, and the rebel cause survived but a single week. 
While they remained in service the members of the 8th 
would always lau^h when " the day we broke the lines" was 
referred to, for they said they did not realize how ridiculous 
the whole thing was until they saw three men threatening to 
whip three hundred. 



Humors of the Camp. 

Gayety of Some of the Southern Leaders and Light-Heartedness of the Troops. 

PEN PICTURES OF LEE, JACKSON, EWELL, STUART, 
BEAUREGARD AND OTHERS KNOWN TO FAME. 

By J. ESTEN COOKE, Confederate, Boyee, Va. 



^^^^HE humorous side of the drama may be less inspiring 
k^WjA and exciting, but it is more amusing and cliaracteristic. 
"jlNyC^ There was a great deal of laughter in the midst of the 
^«^ gloomiest surroundings, at least on the Southern side, 
of which alone I am able to speak. The comic phase would 
persist in enlivening the hearts of all, and this "persistent 
gayety " in the dark hour, as in the bright, always struck me as 
a curious and interesting illustration of human nature. 

In this article it is not my intention to weary the reader with 
a moral essay on war and its ravages, but to relate some inci- 
dents and anecdotes showing the gay temper of the Southern 
soldiers, especially of officers in high command. It would be 
an endless task to make a collection of comic scenes and inci- 
dents relating to army life at large and I have no design of 
attempting it. What is here set down came for the most part 
directly under my personal observation, and the main object is 
to show how men in positions of the gravest responsibility, 
enough to crush out all tendency to fun, yet showed a marked 
tendency to enjoy the ' sunny side" of things, and laugh when 
ruin itself stared them in the face. 

Stuart's Gayety. 

Stuart was the gayest probably of all the Southern generals, 
and some anecdotes of him, not given in previous papers of this 
series, may eniertain the reader, and show the ever ready and 
abounding vivacity of the man. The propensity for "fun and 
frolic " in a human being depends largely, no doubt, on his 

(554) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 555 

physical constitution. A hearty man is hearty in temper, and 
a dyspeptic invalid is gloomy. Stuart was a proof of the for- 
mer. He was a man of robust health and strength, warm 
blooded, as restless as a child, from what seemed pure excess of 
animal spirits, and he allowed no opportunity of perpetrating 
or enjoying a joke to escape him. I saw more or less of him 
from the time in 1861, when he was a colonel picketing the 
front, to 1864, when he was a corps commander and fell in de- 
fense of Richmond, and he was always the same gay, laughing, 
high-spirited companion, with a fund of comic humor which 
burst out on every occasion. His staff were, for the most part, 
young men, as prone to fun as himself, and his banjo player, 
Sweeney, who accompanied him everywhere, made the camp 
ring with his thumming, or the loud resounding chorus, "If 
you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry," in which 
Stuart joined with ardor. 

Stuart and a Former Clium. 

Stuart was making a reconnaissance in the summer of 1861, 
when, riding ahead with two or three officers, he saw coming to 
meet him a Federal captain, whom he recognized as Cadet Per- 
kins, an old West Point friend. 

"Hello, Perk! " he exclaimed, "glad to see you. What are 
you doing here?" 

"Why, Beauty," replied Perkins, using Stuart's nickname 
at West Point, "how are you? I didn't know you were 
with us I" 

"And I didn't know you were on our side! " retorted Stuart. 
" What is your command?" 

Perkins pointed over his shoulder to a Federal battery coming 
in sight. 

" There's my command," he said. 

"Oh! the devil! " cried Stuart, bursting into a roar of laugh- 
ter. " Good-by, Perk!" And wheeling rapidly he went back 
at a gallop, followed by laughter from Captain Perkins, who 
had probably enjoyed the mystification. 

Fitz Lee's Old Company. 

This mutual recognition by old friends during the war oc- 
curred on very numerous occasions, and I remember an amus- 
ing instance of it in 1862. We were making the well known 



556 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

reconnaissance in June of that year to the rear of General 
McClellan's forces on the Chickahominy, and near Old Church, 
in Hanover, captured a company of Federal cavalry on picket. 
The detachment on the Confederate side engaged in the charge 
was commanded hy Gen. Fitz Lee, the gay and gallant, whose 
jovial face, with its sweeping moustache and heavy beard, was 
always the picture of enjoyment. As '' General Fitz " looked 
at the blue-coated prisoners brought in he suddenly cried: — 

" How are you. Brown? Are you down there? How's Robin- 
son and the rest of my old people?" 

The individual addressed as Brown looked intently at Gen- 
eral Fitz, and suddenly his face lit up: — 

"Why, how are you, lieutenant!" he said, touching his hat, 
and in a moment afterwards General Fitz and Brown were 
shaking hands. Fitz Lee had captured his old company in the 
United States army, and he and Private Brown were exchang- 
ing friendly greetings. 

Ill tlie Hands of Old Friends. 

A similar recognition took place between my friend Lieuten- 
ant Washington, a descendant of the family of the pater pat rice, 
and some West Point friends. Tlie lieutenant was captured 
near the White House in New Kent, and, instead of being 
placed in durance vile, was met with open arms by his okl 
chums. They made much of him, and the first news his friends 
had of him was through a photograph sent through the lines, 
representing himself and a young Federal lieutenant seated, 
arm in arm, with a small "bull pup" between them, which 
would have delighted General Grant." 

He Slew His Own Brother. 

Other occasions when old friends and often relatives recog- 
nized each other were not so comic. In 1862 Gen. Bradley 
Johnson, commanding the 1st Md., C. S. A., charged and drove 
at Front Royal the 1st Md., U. S. A., among whom were prob- 
ably many old acquaintances. And in the same region, the 
Valley, one of our generals told me this incident occurred. He 
had made an attack on a picket post and a brisk action fol- 
lowed. The Federal picket force was repulsed, but was return- 
ing to renew the action, when a Confederate cavalryman was 
seen dismounted and sitting beside the road, at the foot of a 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 557 

tree. His officer called to him: ''Come on! We are going into 
action." But the cavalryman shook his head. 

" I can't go, general," he groaned out. 

" What do you mean? " 

"General, I have just killed my brother!" sobbed out the 
poor fellow, " and I don't feel as if I could fight any more 
to-day." 

He explained that in the charge on the picket he had cut 
down a Federal cavalryman, and that as he fell he recognized 
his own brother, who was on the Northern side. 

The Witty Parson. 

Such incidents are too melancholy for a paper dealing with 
the humorous phases of war. To come back to more cheerful 
subjects. Stuart had many persons around him as fond of the 
comic aspect of things as himself. Among these was the 
" Parson," as we called him, who was full of wit himself, and 
the cause of wit in others. The parson was the soul of good 
humor — a fount of gayety, in fact, from which flowed fun and 
laughter in unfailing stream. For a long time he was seen 
flitting to and fro on his white horse in every engagement, but 
at last he was captured, and had some amusing experiences, 
which he related to us on his return. His capture took place 
during the bustling campaign culminating in the second battle 
of Manassas. Stuart had been sent in front of Jackson, who 
was making his famous flank and rear movement against Gen- 
eral Pope, to reach Manassas and destroy the Federal stores 
there, and many comic scenes followed while the great depot 
was burning. Men in rags were seen eating lobster salad and 
drinking champagne, and when Stuart reprimanded one of his 
young officers who had become somewhat elated, the young 
fellow ordered him to mind his own business, as he was in 
command there, whereat Stuart burst into laughter and rode 

on. 

Stonewall Jackson's Ifap. 

Soon afterwards occurred the melancholy event of Parson 

's capture. We had followed the retiring forces of the 

Federal army, and Stuart and his staff spent the night outside 
the lines, at the house of some young lady friends near Frying 
Pan Church, returning the next day to take part in the final 
fight near Germantown. Here a trifling incident occurred — to 



558 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

digress temporarily from the affairs of the parson — which 
showed Stuart's joyous mode of action. We had passed the 
infantry, waiting orders to advance on the Chantilly road, and 
Gen. Stonewall Jackson, seated on the ground with his back to 
a tree, was peacefully dozing in the midst of a sharp picket fire 
a hundred or two yards off, and Stuart pushed one of his guns 
down the road to shell a body of Federal cavalry. 

As to Damp Powder. 

The cavalry was soon seen to be a decoy. As the gun came 
into battery a line of sharpshooters, hidden in tall weeds, about 
seventy-five yards distant, rose up and opened a hot fire on the 
gun detachment. It was altogether a very "unwholesome" 
place, to use a military phrase. The hiss of bullets was inces- 
sant, and I said to Stuart: "Things are getting hot, general." 
He laughed, facing the fire with great indifference, and said in 
a matter-of-fact tone: " It is getting rather warm. I wish you 
would go to General Jackson and tell him I want some sharp- 
shooters on my left." The battle, however, began nearly at 
once, and continued during a violent storm, which gave rise to 
one of Jackson's ban mofs. An officer came to him and said 
that his command would have to fall back, as the rain had 
wetted their powder and the guns were useless. 

"No," said Jackson; " hold your ground. If the rain wets 
your powder it will wet the enemy's, too." 

A reply similar to that of General Hoke, of North Carolina, 
when some one said in great perturbation: — 

"The enemy are very near you — yonder, general!" 

" Not nearer than I am to them," Hoke said, laughing. 

Tlie Parson Lost. 

After the Germantown fight Stuart pushed on toward the 
high ground to the left of Fairfax Court House, in pursuit of 
the retiring enemy. But night had come and nearly a tragic 
or comic incident followed. As he was returning one of his 
own brigades took his force for Federal cavalry, and had 
sounded the charge on the bugle, when the terrible mistake was 
discovered. But the incident of the occasion, which produced 
most impression on the cavalry, or rather headquarters, was 
the mysterious disappearance of Parson . He had accom- 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 559 

panied the advancing column, either thirsting for action or in 
hopes of commissary spoil, for the parson was an epicure and 
devoted to the good things of life, when suddenly the staff had 
lost sight of him in the darkness, and he was no more seen for 
many a day. 

The Parson Returns. 

We mourned him as one lost to us and were beginning to 
grow resigned to the inevitable, when one day the worthy par- 
son reappeared as suddenly as he had vanished. He was 
portly, ruddy, more jovial than ever — not the least bit of a 
ghost, or indicating in his rotund person the slightest experi- 
ence of prison life. He was received with an ovation, and 
became the center of admiring eyes. Very seldom, indeed, 
had we seen so portly a Confederate — one displaying so unmis- 
takably a recent familiarity with the good things eatable and 
drinkable of this life. Then eager questions followed. What 
had happened to him? Where had he been? What was the 
explanation of that pleasing rotundity of abdomen and the 
flush of luxurious health on the smiling countenance? 

The Parson's Story. 

The parson explained. On the night of the movement toward 
the hills near Fairfax he had found a carbine on his breast in the 
darkness and a voice had ordered him to surrender, which he did 
without discussion, when he was conducted to Fairfax Court 
House. The next day he was confronted by the commandant 
of the place. Sir Percy Wyndham, an English officer of impos- 
ing splendor in dress and bearing — the same who had planned 
the "bagging'" of Ashby in the Valley campaign, but had been 
" bagged " by Ashby near Cross Keys, The parson described 
the colonel as a military dandy of the first water, with long 
curls, and a profusion of gold lace. Then the following pithy 
dialogue ensued: — 

"Who are you?" said Col. Percy Wyndham. 

" I am Parson , of the Confederate States army." 

"A parson? And they captured j'ou?" 

"It looks like it, colonel." 

"Well, they did a d d foolish thing! Capture a parson! 

Well, parson, as you have been brought into my lines, you must 
go back via Washington and Fortress Monroe," 



560 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Among' the Philistines. 

So the parson was forwarded to Washington and securing a 
day's parole telegraphed to Georgetown and Baltimore, where 
he had hosts of friends, that he was in the hands of the Philis- 
tines. He then went to the old Capitol Prison and awaited the 
result, which was eminently gratifying. His friends hastened 
to his assistance, overwhelmed him with good things, and he 
made such interest with Major Wood, keeper of the prison, 
that his table was spread with the daintiest bill of fare. No 
expense was spared, he said, and " many a bivalve has entered 
here," he added, smiling and patting his ample abdomen. In 
two weeks, he said, he had run up a bill of twenty-three dol- 
lars against his unfortunate enemies. His hours of confinement 
were thus not irksome and he found excellent company, among 
the rest Chaplain G , of a Maryland regiment. 

Genei'al Ewell's Cork Leg. 

The chaplain related for his amusement the adventure of 
General E well's cork leg. He had run the blockade to Phila- 
delphia, and had procured the cork leg and packed it in a box 
beneath some Bibles, but on his return was caught at the 
Potomac, 

"Your name and business?" said the Federal officer, before 
whom he was conducted. 

"ChajDlain G , of the Maryland regiment, with a box of 

Bibles." 

" They are confiscated." 

"What! my Bibles, sir?" 

"Let me see." 

Whereupon the officer opened the box and saw the vol- 
umes. 

" Well, I see they are only Bibles," he said, " and I don't sup- 
pose they are contraband. Bibles are sent to the heathen." 

After which neat joke the Federal officer permitted the chap- 
lain to proceed southward with his Bibles and General Ewell's 
cork leg. Our parson came back to us by the shorter route of 
Alexandria, where General Patrick commanded. 

"You can return, parson," said the general, "but I must 
take your parole to give no information as to anything you 
have seen." 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 561 

"Why, general," said the smiling parson, "there are no 
troops here and nothing to see." 

"'No troops?" said the general, laughing. "''Well, hang it! 
isn't that a great deal to see, parson?" 

There was often a great deal of amusing discussion in the 
Southern army on the subject of dodging. As to the propriety 
or impropriety of the habit, views diametrically differed. 
One party of thinkers regarded it as discreditable and unmili- 
tary, another maintained that it was based on the soundest 
sense and the truest devotion to the cause. There was no 
reason why a good soldier should have his head carried away 
by a cannon ball to keep up appearances. It would be better 
to dodge and thus preserve his life for the good of the South. 
Thus opinions differed; but I think the majority were on the 
side of the dodgers, if they were only "artful," and laughed 
afterwards. In favor of the practice I think I can cite as en- 
couraging it by precept or example, Generals Lee, Jackson, 
Stuart, and many more. I have the assurance that Gen. Stone- 
wall Jackson thought it the dictate of good sense to thus avoid 
missiles, and I have seen a great many very brave officers duck 
their heads to avoid bullets hissing close to them. General 
Stuart never committed himself on the subject by formally de- 
claring his views, but he indicated them by example, and was 
instrumental in drawing forth the views of Gen, R. E. Lee. 

What Lee Thoug-ht of Dodging-. 

The incident was as follows: At the battle of Cold Harbor 
Stuart sent one of his staff with a message, and as the officer 
was returning a plunging fire of shell swept a field which he was 
crossing. As one of the shells seemed determined to carry off 
his head the officer threw himself Comanche fashion behind the 
neck of his horse, and as he rose erect again a roar of laughter 
greeted him. Stuart was near him leaning back, nearly prone 
on his horse, roaring with fun. His love of a joke had over- 
come him. and he had thenceforth an excellent joke on his staff 
officer. He told it to everybody, as he did all jokes upon every- 
body, and one day related it to the commander-in-chief, who 
had come to see him. General Lee listened gravely, as to some 
important communication, and then said, looking at the of- 
ficer: — 

"That's right, captain; dodge all you can." . 

36 



5G2 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

A Profound Bow. 

At the battle of Fredericksburg, however, the officer got even 
with the general. Just before the splendid charge of General 
Meade on the Confederate right the young officer had been sent 
with an order, and returning to report found that Stuart had 
ridden to the front. The officer therefore followed, and close to 
the Federal line found the general reconnoitering from behind 
a cedar hedge. The field was covered with fog, behind which 
General Meade's thunder slumbered, and Stuart was peering 
through his field glass to pierce it when a gun roared in front. 
A moment afterwards a shell grazed the top of the hedge and 
General Stuart made it a profound bow. As he raised his head 
he saw his staff officer looking at him and laughing. They 
were even on the subject of dodging. 

Fim .and Frolic. 

It is always a great pleasure to me to recall Stuart, whose 
fun, frolic, and spirit of mirth broke out in laughter during the 
very darkest hours of the hard struggle. He made a frolic of 
war, in fact, and nothing ever seemed to cast him down or 
made him in the least doubtful of the result. He was always 
laughing, paying compliments to ladies, or roaring out his camp 
songs when he was not fighting hard, or working hour after 
hour at his desk. Work over he went back to his cavalry fun, 
which nothing could suppress. Even at the head of his march- 
ing column, with the rain pouring in torrents, I have heard 
him roar out, in his loud laughing voice, the song chorus: — 

If yovi get there before I do, 
Oh, tell 'em I'm a-coming too ! 

As he led Jackson's corps at Chancellorsville, he was sing- 
ing:— 

Old Joe Hooker, -will you come out of the wilderness. 

One of Jackson's Jokes. 

The other Southern generals were more staid than Stuart, 
but the greatest of them relaxed at times, often when the times 
were critical and not such as would seem to offer much encour- 
agement to the indulgence of fun. Few persons were more 
reserved and quiet in demeanor than General Lee and General 
Jackson; the gr^t responsibility resting upon them seemed to 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 563 

make them grave, but they, too, had their moments of humor- 
ous enjoyment. With the famous General Stonewall the humor 
was quiet, but genuine, as on the occasion of his capture of 
Harper's Ferry, in September, 1862. As he entered the town a 
man on horseback approached at full gallop and announced to 
him with breathless excitement that General McClellan was 
near with an immense army, when Jackson asked in a matter- 
of-fact tone if the Federal commander had many beef cattle 
with him. The reply was that he had countless numbers, and 
Jackson said, with his dry smile: "Well, I can whip any army 
that comes well supplied with beef cattle!" 

At Jackson's Expense. 

Jackson and Stuart were warm friends and often visited each 
other at their quarters, when I was much amused by Stuart's 
humorous extravagance and his guest's quiet enjoyment of it. 
When Jackson was at "Moss Neck," the Corbin house, below 
Fredericksburg, he took for his quarters an apartment deco- 
rated with pictures of race horses, game cocks, and terriers 
destroying rats. The selection of these surroundings by the 
grave Presbyterian elder struck Stuart as irresistibly comic, 
and one day on a visit to Jackson he suggested that the room 
ought to be photographed. When Jackson innocently asked 
why, Stuart replied with his rich laugh: " As a view of the win- 
ter quarters of Gen. Stonewall Jackson, affording an insight 
into the tastes and character of the individual!" 

When Lee Heard Firing. 
General Lee's position as commander-in-chief was much too 
onerous and full of anxiety to permit much indulgence in hu- 
mor. He was also of a constitutionally quiet and reserved dis- 
position, given to gentle and affectionate expansion in his 
family circle, but not to exuberant spirits on any occasion. He 
smiled frequently but rarely laughed, and yet there was 
certainly under this grave exterior a quiet enjoyment of 
the comic side of things, which displayed itself on unex- 
pected occasions. A mere word or turn of praise often indi- 
cated the great leader's mood, as when General Sedgwick 
opened a hot fire at Fredericksburg in the Chancellorsville 
campaign. The moment was a very critical one, as Lee was 
enormously outnumbered, and General Hooker was advancing 



564 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

to turn both his flanks. A young officer came at full speed and in 
hot haste informed tlie general of Sedgwick's attack, when 
Lee, smiling serenely, said: "Well, I heard firing, and I was 
beginning to think it was time some of you lazy young fellows 
were coming to tell me what it was all about." 

A Chair with which to Mount. 

I have rarely seen General Lee really amused, but recall one 
occasion when he visited General Stuart's headquarters, near 
Orange Court House. He was riding an immensely tall horse 
and said, as he was going to mount, " My horse is so big that I 
think I ought to have a chair to mount." One of the staff 
thereupon ran and brought a chair, which he deposited beside 
the animal, when General Lee's face relaxed into a broad smile. 
*' No, I thank you, captain," he said gravely, mounting without 
the chair and still smiling, no doubt, at the idea that the best 
horseman in the United States and Confederate States armies 
should have been offered a chair to reach his saddle! I am 
obliged to give these trifling instances of General Lee's quasi 
humor or to give none. Only one exhibition of hearty mirth 
under trying circumstances was given by him to my knowl- 
edge. We were retreating from Petersburg and had reached 
Amelia Court House, where General Wise approached Lee, be- 
spattered with mud and wrapped in an old tattered blanket. 
The army was starving and General Grant was coming down 
" like a wolf on the fold," but at sight of the mud-covered Gen- 
eral Wise, who resembled a Comanche Indian, General Lee 
burst into hearty laughter. 

Ewell an Odd Character. 

General Ewell, one of the hardest fighters and greatest lieu- 
tenants of Jackson, was an especially interesting character, 
looked at upon his humorous side. I knew him very well and 
liked him extremely for his genuine "grit" and dry humor. 
This was often peppered with oaths, for it is no secret that this 
obstinate combatant in the earlier years of the war was very 
profane — a bad habit, which he completely abandoned after- 
wards, when he became, what is much more than a great soldier, 
a sincere Christian. In the first scenes of the war, however, 
the wiry, dark browned commander was full of the direst and 
profanest humor. All the army was laughing after the second 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 565 

battle of Manassas at his reception of the intelligence that his 
wounded leg would have to be amputated. " Tell the — doctor," 

he exclaimed, "that I'll be if it shall be cut off, and that 

these are the last words of Ewell! " One day, when he directed 
a private to be detailed as courier at his headquarters and a 
young Southerner of large wealth was sent for the purpose, 
General Ewell burst into delighted and enjoyable profanity. 

"Who ever saw such a d d army!" he exclaimed. " Here I 

sent for a man to run errands and carry notes and they give 

me a rascal worth $500,000." But under this profanity and 

grim humor was a brave, warm heart. At Cross Keys, in 
Jackson's valley campaign, when he was forced to retire on 
Port Republic, Ewell was seen going over the battle field where 
he had just repulsed Fremont and giving the wounded Confed- 
erates money out of his own pocket. 

The Knight of the Valley. 

The name Cross Keys recalls Ashby and his adventure before 
alluded to, that with Sir Percy Wyndham, who announced to a 
New York newspaper correspondent his intention to "bag" 
Ashby, but Ashby got in his rear and captured the colonel. 
My personal knowledge of this chivalric soldier, " the Knight 
of the Valley," produced the impression that he was a man of 
great sweetness of temperament rather than of humor, in the 
broad sense. He would sit among his men beside the camp-fire 
and enjoy their gay stories or join in their lilting choruses; but 
the death of his brother Richard had saddened him. I never 
saw a sweeter smile on the human face than his or a gentler 
manner. He rarely laughed, but the smile was generally there, 
as I fancy it was when some Northern ladies at Winchester 
offered to have their trunks and persons searched for anything 
contraband. " Virginia gentlemen do not search ladies' trunks 
or persons, madam," he said. " You are at liberty to go." 

Stuart and Beain'egard. 

Following these chance recollections I come to the famous 
General Beauregard, the hero of the early months of the war, 
more especially of the great collision at Manassas, where, al- 
though General Johnston commanded, Beauregard was the 
prominent figure, through stress of circumstances. When the 
great Creole first appeared there he gave little indication of any 



566 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

tendency to humor. He was lithe, wiry, sallow of complexion, 
with the slumberous eyes of the bloodhound, and resembled ex- 
actly the popular idea of a French marshal or corps commander 
in the old wars of Napoleon. After the huge hurly-burly of the 
battle, however, during which Beauregard was seen passing like 
a god of war along the " serried lines " in the hottest of the fight- 
ing, I found that the military machine had a reserve of quiet 
fun behind the black, dreamy eyes, inflamed by night watches. 
He came one day after the battle to Stuart's headquarters in an 
old house beyond Centreville and dined with us. At table the 
general at first preserved a grim, but courteous silence; but the 
conversation having turned on the battle of Manassas, Stuart, 
ever fond of a jest, said: — 

"General, the Northern journals report that during the bat- 
tle you continued to ride a horse whose head had been carried 
off by a cannon ball. Is that true?" 

General Beauregard's black mustache curled upward and 
he chuckled. 

"Well, general," he said, "my horse was killed, but his head 
was not carried off. He was struck by a shell, which exploded 
at the moment when it passed under him. A splinter struck 
my boot and another cut one of the arteries in the animal's 
body. The blood gushed out, and after going fifty yards he 
fell dead. I then mounted a prisoner's horse, a small, dingy 
horse with a white face." And, overcome by the recol- 
lection of the small dingy horse with the white face. General 
Beauregard's white teeth appeared and he burst into a laugh. 

Beauregard's Gallantry. 

On the same afternoon there was more laughter to enliven 
the occasion. A young lady, the daughter of a very great 
general, had ridden with her cousin, of the staff, to the vicinity, 
and dismounted at General Stuart's quarters. As she was about 
to mount again. General Beauregard and the Prince Polignac, 
who had dined with us, rushed forward to assist her to the sad- 
dle. The young Prince was active and gallant, but not so ac- 
tive or gallant as General Beauregard. The latter reached the 
young lady first, and, stooping, held out his hand that she might 
place her foot in it. She declined to make such use of a dis- 
tinguished hand and leaped into the saddle, to the regret, I 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 567 

think, of the general, whose French politeness no doubt in- 
duced him to regard the employment of his hand as entirely- 
rational. 

The Character of Fitz Lee. 

I have passed over with only cursory mention one of the gay- 
est and gallantest of the Southern soldiers — Gen. Fitzhugh 
Lee. We always called him "General Fitz," as a mark of re- 
gard, for such names are a compliment. The men of Jackson's 
corps dubbed him " Old Stonewall." Gen, R. E. Lee was known 
as " Mas' Robert," and Stuart as " Jeb " Stuart, following which 
came " Fitz " Lee. There was everything, indeed, in the gal- 
lant Fitz Lee to inspire a familiar liking. He was full of 
humor, as brave as steel, without any " official dignity" what- 
ever in his manner, but at all times the hearty soldier, loving 
his jest dearly and never in low spirits, whatever the outlook 
might be. He and Stuart were boon friends, having known 
each other intimately in the United States army, and when 
they met a wit combat followed, diamond cut diamond. I am 
sorry not to be able to report any of these brilliant encounters, 
not having surmised at the time that they would ever interest 
anybody. What remains in memory is only a vivid general 
impression of superabundant animal spirits, and inexhaustible 
gayety. "General Fitz" was, in fact, what the French call a 
type in person and temperament. He was a man of medium 
stature, rather stout, but active and graceful, with a ruddy 
complexion, an enormous beard and mustache and an unfail- 
ing twinkle of humor in his brilliant eyes, the picture, in a 
word, of the true cavalryman. He liked his profession, for he 
once told me so, and if he is a future governor of Virginia he 
will probably continue to regret it. 

"Nelly Gray." 

All the surroundings of war seemed to please him, and he 
was a thorough lover of horses, his mare "Nelly Gray" being 
a prime favorite with him. As to Nelly Gray she made a true 
cavalier's speech one day at Stuart's quarters. She had lost a 
shoe and limped, when General Fitz, gazing sadly at her, 
said: — 

" I wish there was some way for you to ride me home, 
Nelly,'" which ought to endear General Fitz to all true lovers 
of the equine species. 



568 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

The general's fondness for music was great, and he was es- 
pecially devoted to Ethiopian minstrelsy and musical opera 
bouffe. At Fredericksburg and elsewhere in the winter of 1862, 
the soldiers were delighted with the performances of the "Fitz- 
hugh Lee Minstrels," an Ethiopian dramatic company, whose 
bill, with the casts is now before me, printed upon the dingiest 
of Confederate paper. The gayety if the "minstrels" simply 
reflected the gayety of the gallant Fitz Lee. I suppose he will 
come back to the memory of all his old soldiers as he comes 
back to mine, singing his jovial camp songs and finding mirth 

in everything. 

The Autumn of 1863. 

He was specially prominent and full of this spirit of gayety 
in the autumn campaign beyond the Rappahannock in 1863. 
General Lee made a circuit toward the mountains and swooped 
down on General Meade in Culpeper, but that excellent soldier, 
of whom Lee said that he gave him more trouble than all of 
them, vanished from Culpeper without leaving so much as a 
cracker-box. There never was a more masterly falling back to 
choose position to fight, for General Meade intended to fight, 
and said that it was like losing his eye-teeth not to have a 
battle with Lee. What remained was the work of the cavalry, 
and Fitz Lee drove northward from the Rapidan and struck 
the Federal cavalry at Brandy. He was "" down on " the 
enemy; Stuart was in his rear, and in the rear of Stuart was a 
Federal. column charging him. A cavalryman succinctly de- 
scribed the situation by saying: " Old Jeb has cut off more than 
he can chaw." 

The fighting then streamed northward and General Fitz 
planned the ruse by which General Kilpatrick was routed at 
Bucklands, called the famous " Buckland Races." But this 
amusing campaign is too large a subject. It recalls an incident 
of Gen. Fitz Lee's persistent gayety. We were advancing 
about nightfall at the head of his column toward Deep Run, 
where General Warren was executing the neatest of ruses and 
disabling General Cooke. Before us on a hill was a battery in 
hot action, and I asked the general whose it was. He was 
singing at the moment a favorite song, with the chorus: — 
Rest in peace, slumbering lady-love of mine, 

and stopped to say: "1 think they are Yankees," 
"What will you do?" I said. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 569 

" I mean to charge them. If I go under I can't carry out my 
great ambition." 

"What is your great ambition?" 

"To have a company of Negro minstrels this winter — all 
mulattoes." 

And as we rode on my friend, General Fitz, "developed his 

idea," waiting tranquilly the return of the man sent forward to 

ascertain about the battery. As it was one of our own we did 

not charge it, and I have nothing more to recall this evening 

but the gay voice of General Fitz describing his great ambition. 

Perhaps he has forgotten the incident; it is a trifle, but brings 

back the gallant figure of one of the most gallant of Southern 

soldiers. 

Other Characters. 

I have attempted to outline those two gayest of soldiers, Gen. 
Jeb Stuart and Gen. Fitz Lee, showing particularly what a per- 
vading humor characterized them. Their staff officers were 
very much like them in that respect, and the " headquarter 
family " of Stuart was one of the liveliest families I have ever 
known. It might have been thought that they were intent on 
extracting as much entertainment from life as possible, as their 
term was short. Nearly everybody who " followed the feather " 
of Stuart was killed, — Captain Farley, the bravest of scouts, 
who had his leg torn off in Culpeper; Dr. Fontaine, killed at 
Petersburg; Lieutenant Price, at Chancellorsville; Lieutenant 
Turner, a cousin of General Lee, on the Rappahannock, and 
others were wounded or captured. 

One and all were gayest of the gay in camp and on the march, 
and Stuart had attached to his headquarters from time to time 
other officers who were characters. Among these was no less 
a personage than the famous Col. St. Leger Grenfell, who had 
fought in every land; was finally charged, I believe, with at- 
tempting to burn Chicago, imprisoned on the Dry Tortugas and 
was drowned in attempting to escape. I frequently conversed 
with this singular character — a tall, grizzled, stiff and thoroughly 
military man — but only recall in relation to him his extraordi- 
nary devotion to a bull dog, which would permit no one to ap- 
proach his master's horse. Another officer of the staff was 
Major Von Borcke, a big Prussian, with the most enormous of 
swords and the most jovial of smiles. As he has related his 
adventures in Blackwood's Magazine, I will say no more of him. 



570 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

I shall also pass over other officers, whose amusing peculiarities 
it would be ungracious to delineate; a general's staff is a family, 
and family affairs should be respected. Of one gentleman at- 
tached to the corps, however, I may as well relate an anecdote 
which was highly relished. He was acting as Provost Marshal, 
and near Culpeper Court House had under guard some Federal 
prisoners in a deserted house. 

Tlie Lieutenant and His Shadow. 

While waiting to be relieved a fire shot up without and threw 
his shadow on the wall. Taking the shadow for a foeman he 
ordered "Halt!" and drew his revolver. As the shadow did 

likewise but did not reply. Lieutenant ordered "Answer or 

I firel" advancing resolutely on his dark enemy. It was never 
clearly established whether he drew trigger or not; the legend 
was that one of his men called out in huge enjoyment, " Why, 
lieutenant, it's only your shadow!" At all events the incident 
made its way to headquarters, where, unluckily for the lieuten- 
ant, M^e had a visitor in the person of Col. Alexander Boteler, 
the popular member of Congress. Whether of his own accord 
or incited by Stuart, Colonel Boteler, who was an excellent 
draughtsman, made a vivid pencil sketch of the lieutenant and 
the shadow. Then by way of illustrating the scene he wrote 
beneath it: — 

" Now by the apostle Paul ! Shadows to-night 

Have struck more terror to the soul of 

Than could the substance of ten thousand soldiers, 
Armed all in proof and led by shallow Buford ! " 

Humorous Incidents. 

No doubt this mirthful view of the hard trade of war was as 
prevalent in the Northern army as in the Army of Northern 
Virginia, and I remember that in this very campaign we capt- 
ured poor General Kilpatrick's "; battery horse" and mare 
"Lively," with which he amused himself running races in the 
intervals of fighting. Near Hagerstown, on the return from 
Gettysburg, a Federal major was brought into headquarters, 
where I was in charge, and his comments on his misfortune 
were very amusing: "Your men snapped their carbines at me 
and then halted me!" said Major Polk, and when he discovered 
that I had been unable to make some purchases in the town for 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 571 

want of greenbacks, General Lee having forbidden the troops 
to force Confederate money on any one, the major drew out a 
roll of greenbacks and offered them in exchange for Confeder- 
ate, saying with a laugh:— 

"All I want is enough to buy cigars at Richmond! " 

Laug^hin^ at Shells. 

The "heart of hope " was probably as common in the Northern 
forces as in ours, but it certainly was seen at all times and 
places in the Southern army. The humorous side of things 
always seemed to be the first to present itself. At Petersburg, 
when General Grant had broken through the lines and was 
surging forward to overwhelm the handful in Lee's inner 
works, the men burst into laughter and greeted every shell 
with a loud hurrah. They were more like a party of school 
boys than grizzled men and seemed unaware of the peril of 
their situation. To the last they met the dire trials of the re- 
treat with the same carelessness — a spectacle so singular that 
those only who witnessed it can realize it fully. 

The Horse Artillery. 

It is impossible to even enter on the subject of camp humor 
in general in this place. The topic is inexhaustible and would 
fill a volume. All thoughtful observers must have been struck 
by it and wondered at the complete apparent forgetfulness of 
the horrors of war by the rank and file. Perhaps the most 
striking illustration of this was found in the batteries of the 
"Stuart Horse Artillery," attached to the cavalry, and recently 
spoken of. To mingle with this nondescript crowd of hard 
fighting men and listen to their songs and laughter was a 
treat to the student of human nature. The songs, especially, 
were full of rich or caustic humor. Now it was the quarter- 
master, who had 

Grown mighty tall ; 
He stai'ved our horses to give a ball. 

Then it was an unpopular commander, who said at the ap- 
proach of the enemy: — 

We'll have some fun — 
Take up the road and hide the gun ! 



572 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

And from these comic ditties the men, a number of whom 
had served under Ashby, passed to the saddest of strains with 

the chorus: — 

Strike ! freemen, for your country, 
Ashby is no more ! 

Like Battles with Snowballs. 

In the cavalry it is ahnost unnecessary to say there was a 
reserve of fun and take things as they come, which largely 
sprung from their nomadic life and the shifting scenes through 
which they passed. But the infantry of General Lee's army 
were, in camp, like a band of children turned loose for a holi- 
day. The least trifle was sufficient to unloose the waters of the 
pent-up fun. The excitement caused throughout whole bri- 
gades by scaring up a hare or " rabbit" is well known, and the 
comment generally made when -the troops were shooting, was, 
" That is Jackson or a rabbit! " Whole regiments would pursue 
the flitting game with hurrahs as of opening battle, and the 
divertisements of the camps, generally, were as boy-like. One 
of the most amusing spectacles I ever witnessed was a grand 
battle of snowballs, near Fredericksburg, in the winter of 1863. 
Whole divisions engaged in it with the wild enjoyment of child- 
hood. The air was as full of white balls as it had been of shells 
in the battle of a month before, and as desperate attacks were 
made on the snow breastworks as General Meade's brave fellows 
made on Jackson's line crowning the Hamilton hill a mile 
away. There were, doubtless, bloody noses and cracked crowns 
on the occasion; but after the battle there were no gallant fel- 
lows lying dead in the snow. It is to be wished that all fights 
were like it — the bloody and brutal farce of war no more of a 
tragedy than this battle of snowballs. 

First Colored Provost Marshal. First Yessel Through the Mississippi. 



THE first colored provost marshal was ''^HE first vessel to get through the 
Maj. W. O. Fiske, of the 1st La. Mississippi was the Fred. Kennett, 

Vols , appointed by General Banks. afterwards destroyed on the Yazoo river. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



573 




KKARNBY. 




By E. C. STEDMAN. 



,^0 that soldierly legend is still on its 

i^l journey — 

^-^ That stoi'y of Kearney who knew 

not to yield ! 
'Twas the day when with Jameson, fierce 
Berry, and Birney 
Against twenty thousand he rallied 
the field, 
Where the red volleys poured, where 
the clamor rose highest, 
Where the dead lay in clumps through 
the dwarf oak and pine, 
Where the aim from the thicket was 
surest and nighest. 
No charge like Phil Kearney's along 
the whole line. 



How he strode his brown steed ! how 
we saw his blade brighten 
In the OHe hand still left, and the 
reins in his teeth. 
He laughed like a boy when the holi- 
days heighten. 
But a soldier's glance shot from his 
visor beneath. 
Up came the reserves to the valley in- 
fernal. 
Asking where to go in, through the 
clearing or pine ? 
" Oh, anywhere ! Forward ! 'Tis all 
the same, Colonel ; 
You'll find lovely fighting along the 
whole line ! " 



When the battle went ill and the brav- 
est were solemn, 
Near the dark Seven Pines, where we 
still held our ground, 
He rode down the length of the wither- 
ing column 
And his heart at our war cry leaped 
up at a bound. 
He snuffed, like his charger, the wind 
of the powder ; 
His sword waved us on and we 
answered the sign. 
Loud our cheer as we rushed, but his 
laugh rang the louder — 
" There's the devil's own fun, boys, 
along; the whole line ! " 



Oh, coil the black shroud of night at 
Chantilly 
That hid him from sight of his brave 
men and tried ! 
Foul, foul sped the bullet that clipped 
the white lily. 
The flower of our knighthood, the 
whole army's pride. 
Yet we dream that he still in that shad- 
owy region. 
Where the dead form their ranks at 
the wan drummer's sign. 
Rides on as of old, down the length of 
the legion. 
And the word still is " Forward! " 
along the whole line. 



President Lincoln's First Pardon. Tlie 1st W. Ta. Cayalry's Trophy. 



''P'HE first pardon under the Presi- M|f T the battle of Opequan, September 
dent's proclamation exempted Brig.- '^'^ 19, 1864, the 1st W. Va. Cavalry, of 



Gen. E. W.. Gnatt, of Kansas, from the 
penalty of treason. 



Averill's division, took the first piece 
of artillery captured during the day. 



FALL OF GLHERAL MORGAN, 

►Be l^amoMS ©OFifedexeite: ©auafrgjmaFi. 



A NARRATIVE OF THE DISASTER TO THE RAIDER'S COMMAND 
AT GREENVILLE IN 1864. 



LUCY WILLIAMS, THE UNIONIST, 

Braving a Terrific Storm on a Perilous Midnight Ride. — Her Hatred of Morgan 
and Her Passion for a Handsome Federal Officer. 



STIRRING ROMANCE OF ^VAR. 

The Circumstances as Noted by a Kentuckian of the Famous Division. 

-*I^^S^^- 

^ H -^ the last days of August, 1864, the remnant of Mor- 
gan's cavalry remaining from over three years of 
most active and dangerous service was encamped 
at Johnson's Station, East Tennessee. The ranks 
\ of these hard riders had been thinned by death 
i"^ and capture until, including recruits, the entire 
^^^^^^^^ force numbered only a few hundreds. After 
^•^j-^^S^f"^ Morgan's escape from the Ohio Penitentiary that 
portion of his command which was allowed him (a portion of the 
old division was refused him) was reorganized, companies being 
consolidated and regiments reduced to battalions. The men re- 
maining from the old division, together with such recruits as 
had been attracted by the fame of the great raider to his ban- 
ner, composed a skeleton brigade, comprising several battal- 
ions, numbering about five hundred or six hundred men and 
commanded by Col. D. Howard Smith. Another brigade of 
about the some formation and number under Colonel Giltner, 
composed Morgan's division in 1864. 

(574) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES 575 

The men were, at the time I write of, much dispirited because 
of the enforced absence of their much-loved chief, Morgan 
had been dangerously ill at Abingdon, Va., and the affairs of 
his military department were in wretched condition. The re- 
sponsibility of command had devolved upon incompetent men. 
Instead of maintaining a connected line in front, so that con- 
centration of force might be practicable when necessary, the 
division had been scattered throughout East Tennessee, a bat- 
talion here and a part of a regiment there, thus enabling the 
enemy to approach and whip us in detail. Our men had been 
driven for weeks, a military experience to which they were not 
accustomed, and they began to say there was a standing order 
to retreat whenever a gun was fired. 

On the 29th of August about half the command, as usual, as- 
sembled at the depot at Johnson's Station (to which we had 
fallen back) to witness the incoming of the train with a languid 
sort of interest and gather such bits of news and gossip as 
could be extracted from the soldier passengers, and to procure, 
when that was possible, a copy or two of one of the dimly- 
printed Richmond papers. Before the train reached the station 
the form of Morgan was descried aboard. His arrival was un- 
expected and, therefore, a most agreeable surprise. His men 
manifested their pleasure, in the manner most common with 
soldiers, by yelling with all the power of their lungs. He was 
greeted with round after round of shouts from the throats of 
men who loved him, and as he stepped from the platform of 
the car a hundred hands were stretched to welcome him back. 
This unusual commotion immediately aroused the quiet camp 
(only a few hundred yards distant), and ere the general could 
exchange greetings with those who had first surrounded him 
the crowd was swelled by hundreds more. In our then com- 
paratively safe retreat but little duty was required of the men, 
nor were they restrained by severe camp regulations. Grasping 
as fast as he could the innumerable hands extended to him, 
General Morgan replied in his natural bonhomie style to the 
cordial words of welcome from his men. 

It soon become known through the camp that '*the chief" 
would resume active command of his troops. Despondency 
gave place to enthusiasm, for it was known that Morgan's 
presence meant a renewal of those active and aggressive opera- 
tions which had rendered his command famous. But when it 



576 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

was whispered half officially through the camp that our chief's 
present mission was another raid into Kentucky the enthusiasm 
became the wildest joy. The previous shouting had been but as 
the gentle murmur of a zephyr compared with the thunder-storm 
of rebel yells that greeted this information. That night su- 
preme happiness reigned in our camp. Of course we realized 
that the road to Kentucky would be a bloody one, but each one 
hoped that he might be among the lucky ones who would es- 
cape death. A few days of hard riding and desperate fighting 
and then the hours that could be snatched from duty might be 
passed with father, mother, sister, or that cherished sweetheart, 
whose promise to wait for us "till the war is over" cheered 
many a young fellow. 

General Morgan strolled through the camp that night, laugh- 
ing and joking with his men with a familiarity that few mili- 
tary chieftains dared to indulge. He was rapidly recovering 
strength and lightly remarked that a few days in the saddle 
would remove the last lingering traces of his late illness. The 
idea that he was then, in all the pride of manhood and increas- 
ing vigor, in the midst of his trusted men, any of whom would 
most willingly risk their lives for him, nearer to death than 
when the anxious surgeons had but recently despaired of his 
life, never for an instant crossed his mind. He was too intent 
upon our contemplated raid into Kentucky and of the blow we 
were about to strike for our cause to give a thought to self. 
In truth it was not his habit to consider personal risk in any of 
his movements. 

As soon as horses could be properly shod and the command 
put in order for active service the order to march was issued, 
and about the middle of the afternoon of September 3, we rode 
through Greenville. In the streets of the town the line was 
briefly halted by General Morgan himself to give some orders 
to the brigade officers. He was to remain to town to dinner, 
and, having given such directions as he desired in regard to the 
disposition of his forces, the column within a few minutes 
resumed its march. General Morgan, as if to view the line 
as it moved by, reined to one side and there remained 
until the column passed. He was cheered, as he always was, 
and there, sitting upon his horse within two hundred yards 
of the very spot that would be stained with his life blood in 
a few hours more, he received the last testimonial of respect 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 577 

and affection that his men, as a body, ever had a chance to 
give him. 

The enemy were entrenched at Bull's Gap, eighteen miles be- 
low Greenville, and Morgan was yet undecided as to whether 
he would engage them next day or force them to retire, by 
flanking their position and tearing up the railroad in 
their rear. He intended to be governed by the num- 
ber of the Federals and the strength of their entrenchments; 
but as it was quite probable that he would make up his mind 
to celebrate his return to active duty by a lively brush with the 
enem}^ everything was to be kept in fighting trim. Our brigade, 
consisting of the old Morgan men, was encamped on the main 
road to Bull's Gap, charged with picketing it and all intersect- 
ing roads that might be utilized by the enemy in a night march 
upon us. Morgan, however, was not apprehensive of an at- 
tack. The information he had obtained satisfied him that the 
Federals would wait in their stronghold for him to attack 
them. He was too good a soldier, though, to neglect any pre- 
caution because he had reason not to expect an attack. Gilt- 
ner's brigade was on the right and Vaughn's on the left, thus 
planting our brigade in the center and disposing our entire 
force so as to present a front extending over several miles and 
covering every direction froni which the enemy might ap- 
proach. Vaughn's line of picket was confined to the extreme 
left and really guarded but a single road. It was a road by 
which the enemy could reach Greenville in a circuitous way, 
and one that would, in the event of a general engagement, ex- 
pose the Unionists to an assault upon their rear by either of 
our brigades to that right. Hence our commanding officers felt 
really no fear of an approacli by that road, and deemed it safe 
under the military guardianship of Vaughn's men. The pre- 
cautions taken by our side were amply sufficient, but tne 
limited confidence placed in the East Tenn. Brigade was the 
fatal mistake, as the sequel will show. 

General Morgan entered Greenville that afternoon just be- 
hind the advance guard and a short distance ahead of the 
command. He quartered himself at the residence of Mrs. Will- 
iams, a widow lady of wealth and high social position, who 
was intensely Southern in sentiment and an old friend of the 
general's mother. She had exacted of Morgan a promise that 
he should always make her house his "home" when in Green- 

37 



578 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES, 

ville, and the truth is she felt honored in entertaining any one 
conspicuous in the Confederate cause, and the more conspicuous 
the more honor there was for her. She was an ardent admirer 
of General Morgan, and nothing at her command was ever good 
enough for him. It was Morgan's intention to take dinner at 
Mrs. Williams' and spend a portion of the evening there. It 
was not his purpose to remain through the night, and the 
change of plan which kept him in the house led to his death. 
It was brought about by providential intervention, and illus- 
trates how events shape themselves to drive a man to the des- 
tiny fate has ordained for him. Morgan frequently availed 
himself of invitations to partake of " square meals," but usually 
made his headquarters in camp, preferring to be with his men 
rather than sleep under a "'shingled roof." He was accustomed 
to the hardships and privations of a Southern soldier's life, and 
could sleep as soundly under a hastily constructed "shebang" 
as in a palace. It was not, therefore, a love of ease and com- 
fort that prompted him to accept the shelter of Mrs. Williams' 
house on that fatal, last night of his life. He was, as I have 
before stated, just recovering from a severe and dangerous ill- 
ness, and the surgeons of his command all joined in advising 
the greatest care on his part if he would avoid relapse. 

Morgan naturally felt partial towards our brigade, because it 
contained the men who had followed him through all his dar- 
ing and eventful career as a military chieftain. He manifested 
this partiality by generally assigning us the post of danger, be- 
cause to a soldier that was the post of honor, and by pitching 
his tent in our midst. On the night of the 3d of September, 
1864, our brigade was encamped in an old field on the left of 
the principal road between Bull's Gap and Greenville, and 
about four miles below the latter town. It had been deter- 
mined not to proceed further in the direction of the enemy that 
night, and as we reached Greenville about the middle of the 
afternoon pickets were detailed and all arrangements for the 
night completed an hour or more before sunset. The orders 
were that the men should be in the saddle by daylight the fol- 
lowing morning. Our brigade was to move first and lead the 
advance, the calculation being that the command would get to 
Bull's Gap early enough to dispose of the enemy and occupy 
his quarters the ensuing night, if matters so shaped themselves 
as to make a regular engagement of the Unionists advisable. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 579 

That 3cl of September was one of the most delightful days of 
the autumn season. The heat of the brightly shining sun was 
tempered by a balmy air from the surrounding mountains, and 
the temperature thus kept at the most comfortable degree. A 
slight touch of frost had tinted the leaves of the forests through 
which we rode with varied hues, adding much to the pictur- 
esqueness of the fine scenery in that country. We had drawn 
our rations of flour from a mill that would have afforded a rich 
theme for an author and a picturesque scene for a painter. It 
was a solid old structure, the lower half being of rudely dressed 
stone. Its age was past the computation of the mountaineers. 
They knew by tradition that its slowly revolving wheel had 
supplied the earliest white settlers of that region with grist, 
and that the solidly built mill house, with its rough stone base 
and superstructure of logs, had been, in those primitive days, a 
place of refuge from the Indians. 

The pleasant weather accompanied us during our march and 
until after we had gone into camp, but towards sunset a sudden 
change occurred. The balmy breeze changed into a gale that 
whirled monster clouds through the air; the atmosphere be- 
came murky, vivid flashes of lightning seemed to dart hither 
and thither and peals of thunder rapidly succeeded each other. 
Everything betokened the coming storm. The men were 
hastily tearing rails from the neighboring fences and erecting 
"shebangs" and making such other preparations for a stormy 
night as their scanty means afforded. Loud and ringing cheers 
from that part of the camp nearest the road arrested our at- 
tention, and in a moment or two the appearance of General 
Morgan, attended by his staff, explained the cause. He rode at 
a gallop directly to the camp of the company to which I be- 
longed and reined up within a few feet of my mess. Though 
thinner than usual and a trifle pale, I thought he never looked 
handsomer. He was of noble mien and always carried himself 
proudly. In the saddle he was the beau ideal of a gallant and 
chivalrous cavalier. He always rode a high mettled thorough- 
bred, and his seat in the saddle was the very picture of grace 
and ease. 

Nor was his appearance superior to his elegance of manner. 
The man within corresponded to the man without, appealing to 
humanity. On one occasion a youth, in fact a boy, not over 
sixteen years of age, was among the prisoners. General Mor- 



580 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

gan singled him out because of his boyish appearance and in- 
quired if his mother was living. The boy replied in the affirm- 
ative. Morgan ordered an instant parole made out for the boy, 
and handing it to him along with a gold coin, said: " Take this. 
Go home to your mother as fast as you can and tell her General 
Morgan advises her to keep you with her till your beard grows." 
This was John H. Morgan as he really existed, not as he was 
painted by prejudice born of fear of him. On that September 
evening, the last of his life, he asked of the group in which I 
stood: "How is Mississippi to-day?"* The response of the Mis- 
sissippians was in substance that their company wanted for 
nothing more, now that their chief was again in the saddle and 
ready to lead them. General Morgan knew that the reply was 
sincere, and with a pleased smile he answered: "Yes, I've no 
doubt the boys are all glad to see me back. You have been 
served badly of late. This thing of running from the enemy is 
something you're not used to and I know you don't like it. 
But, never mind, we'll pay these Yankee Tennesseeans back 
with interest for all the trouble they've given you. We mean 
to drive the rogues out of this department and will begin to- 
morrow." He was answered with a rousing cheer, the invari- 
able response to his speeches. 

At that moment Dr. Kay, one of the brigade surgeons, rode 
up and calling attention to the fast gathering and now immi- 
nent storm, he said: " Come, general, you must get away from 
here or you'll be caught in the rain." Morgan retorted that he 
had somebody else in camp to see, which would detain him for 
a few moments, but meantime officers of the staff were directed 
to find shelter for him in the immediate vicinity of the com- 
mand. The only house near by was a double log cabin on the 
opposite side of the road, and as Morgan was earnestly advised 
that he must not think of risking exposure to the weather that 
night that shelter was sought in his behalf. The staff officer who 
visited the family reported that the occupants of the cabin were 
willing to offer such hospitality as their circumstances and con- 
dition afforded, but it was very poor. There was sickness in 
the house, the people were cramped for room and none too well 
off for food, but they would do the best in their power to accom- 

* The company addressed was from Mississippi, though in a Kentucky com- 
mand. It was Co. F, of Morgan's old regiment (the 2il Ky. Cav.), and had faith- 
fully adhered to him through all his fortunes as a Confederate leader. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 581 

modate the general. ''Oh, well," he said, " we will not incom- 
mode these poor people. I will ride back to Mrs. Williams' and 
sleep there. Say, doctor " (to Kay), "do you think we can make 
it before the rain comes?" And with a nod to his staff to follow 
he wheeled his horse and galloped away. A moment or two 
later we saw him riding in a sweeping gallop up the road in 
the direction of Greenville. That was the last view we ever 
had of Morgan living. To escape a storm he rode to his death. 
It was the threatening clouds that sent him back to town that 
night. Was it fate or accident? 

General Morgan had scarcely re-entered Mrs. Williams' house 
when the storm burst in all its fury. It expended its force 
chiefly in rain, which fell in torrents. It looked for a time as if 
the very hills on which we camped would be washed from their 
foundations. The general was most cordially welcomed back 
to comfortable shelter and the hospitable Williams mansion 
fairly outdid itself in entertaining him. While the rain was 
beating upon the roof with a sound that rendered inside cheer ad- 
ditionally attractive a comfortable supper was announced, and 
at the table General Morgan was assigned the seat of honor. 
One of Mrs. Williams' sons, a soldier in the Confederate army, 
had returned home along with Morgan and his command and 
his presence added measurably to the happiness of his mother 
and sister. General Morgan, on all occasions an entertaining 
conversationalist, was the life of the table. His last supper on 
earth was made memorable to those surrounding him by his 
lively sallies of wit and the keen relish with which he related 
joking incidents about his career. The ladies and gentlemen, 
with a single exception — a woman — joined in the mirth of the 
occasion and their laughter drowned the noise of the splashing 
rain without. 

This woman was silent and moody where all the others were 
talkative and merry, and the contrast could not fail to direct 
attention towards her. She was a daughter-in-law of the 
hostess, a woman not yet thirty years of age, and possessed of 
more than average personal attractions. This was Mrs. Lucy 
Williams, who was as loyal to the Union cause as the other 
members of the family were devoted to the Confederacy. She 
was one of those personal illustrations of political perversity 
that the outbreak of the war produced in numerous families. 
All of her kith and kin by blood and marriage were intensely 



582 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Southern in sentiment, yet she chose to espouse the cause of 
the Union, and the more opposition it met the more determined 
became her loyalty. She persuaded her husband to adopt her 
opinions, but could not move any of the others of his family. 
Her own brothers were in the Confederate army, but this fact 
did not induce her to look with any favor upon that cause. All 
efforts to interest her in the conversation at the supper table 
were futile. Her replies to questions were monosyllabic and 
the most amusing incidents of the camp or field failed to evoke 
a smile from her. 

When her singular conduct could no longer be overlooked 
without seeming slight, General Morgan kindly inquired the 
cause of her low spirits. Her explanation was that she was 
uneasy about her property, which consisted of a farm lying 
four or five miles below town and just without our picket lines. 
She said that little farm and the homestead upon it contained 
ever}' thing in the shape of this world's goods possessed by her 
husband and herself, and she was afraid that Morgan's men 
would punish the loyalty of the owners by injuring the prop- 
erty. General Morgan assured her there was no foundation 
whatever for her uneasiness; that his men were under orders 
not to leave camp that night, and he added: '"But, madam, 
under any circumstances your farm would be safe, as my sol- 
diers do not war upon women and non-combatants." 

His efforts to reassure her were unavailing. " While you 
are way up here, general," she said, "your men might burn my 
house, and though you might punish them for disobedience of 
orders that would not restore my little property." With an air 
of confidence he assured her that his men were not given to 
the wanton destruction of private property. But the lady re- 
fused to be comforted by the general's positive assurances, and 
rising from the table she declared her purpose to proceed in per- 
son to her farm. General Morgan, surprised at the boldness of 
the proposition, asked if she meant to ride four or five miles 
through such a storm, with the night so dark that she couldn't 
see her horse's head. The general was still more surprised 
when the woman announced that she didn't " expect to ride at 
all." Her plan v>^as to reach her farm afoot. " Good heavens, 
madam." he exclaimed, "you don't really mean to undertake 
such a journey on foot to-night? Why, it's madness." But she 
declared with evident earnestness her intention to undertake 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 583 

the trip, adding that she had walked the distance many a time 
and sometimes through the rain and darkness. 

Having protested as much as politeness would allow and 
having reiterated his assurances of the safety of her farm with- 
out in the least affecting her determination to go, he directed 
his adjutant to write a pass giving Mrs. Lucy Williams safe 
conveyance through the Confederate picket lines. When the 
pass was delivered to her General Morgan detained her, say- 
ing: " I only intend to assert my authority in one particular — 
you shall not walk. If you will go you must have a horse and 
I will lend you one if you will be seated until I can send for 
it." He then directed that an orderly proceed to the nearest 
camp and procure a horse that could be spared from among the 
surplus animals the command was usually provided with. 
Meantime he invited Mrs. Williams to resume her seat until the 
horse could be brought up. This did not consume much time 
and, therefore, the horse must have been obtained from the 
camp of Smith's battalion, which was immediately in rear of the 
town, and not over a quarter of a mile distant. Either that or 
it was provided from among the animals belonging to the staff. 

Mounted on a horse provided by the kindness of General 
Morgan, Mrs. Lucy Williams rode from the house of her 
mother-in-law that tempestuous night with the rain pouring as 
if the very clouds were rent asunder; but it was not towards 
her farm that she headed her borrowed horse. Reared in that 
vicinity and having traversed it as child and woman with a 
freedom that the custom of the country permitted to her sex, 
she was familiar with every road and pathway. Instead of 
taking the most direct route she made a detour to the left, passed 
through our lines, and with all the speed possible proceeded to 
Bairs Gap. She was evidently informed as to the general dis- 
position of the troops, and perhaps she feared to trust her 
secret to the scrutiny of Morgan's men. It may be that she 
had a confederate among Vaughn's men, or that she was ac- 
quainted with some of them and felt that she could more easily 
dupe them. At all events she rode some distance out of her 
way to pass through the lines at that point, thus affording evi- 
dence of her unwillingness to encounter the more vigilant 
Kentuckians, 

There is no doubt that the woman had conceived the idea 
of conveying the information of Morgan's presence and 



584 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

surroundings to the enemy when she declared her purpose to 
go to her farm; but it is believed that she did not determine to 
be the bearer of that information herself until after she was 
mounted upon a good horse. Her anxiety about her property 
was, of course, a pretext. Her objact was to get away from 
the house and past our lines, where she would have opportunity 
to find a messenger to convey the information she was de.sirous 
o^ placing in possession of the enemy. Early that evening 
General Morgan's faithful old Irish hostler warned him that he 
had " heerd some o' thim Union wimmin a whisperin' ferninst 
the fince beyant there in the yard," and he "belaved there was 
mischief afut." Morgan, however, only laughed at him, and 
told him he was getting old and nervous. 

Adjoining Mrs. Williams' yard on the north side was an 
abandoned hotel building. It was then occupied by the family 
of a Captain Fry, a notorious bushwhacker of East Tennessee. 
Not long prior to Morgan's death this Captain Fry had been 
captured, and though our code condemned all of his class to 
immediate death, without even the formality of a drum-head 
court-martial, this man was spared by Morgan out of pure good- 
heartedness. Morgan ordered Fry confined in jail, saying he 
should not be condemned without a trial to determine whether 
or not he was guilty of all the cruel and bloody deeds charged 
to him. The officers remonstrated against the leniency, but 
Morgan retorted that the man had a family and should not be 
put to death without a trial. The incident of the capture of 
Fry is related because it formed another link in that chain of 
events which seemed to shape Morgan's destiny. 

Fry's family, as stated, occupied the deserted hotel, and his 
wife was particularly vindictive towards Morgan, because of 
the capture and imprisonment of her husband. She had no 
means of knowing that the very man she railed against and 
vowed to be avenged upon had interposed his authority to 
save the life of her liusband, which, under the rule of proced- 
ure in that military department, had been forfeited by his bush- 
whacking career. In the earlier hours of that evening Mor- 
gan's hostler had overheard Mrs. Lucy Williams and Mrs. Fry 
exchanging whispers across the half-decayed fence that sepa- 
rated the old hotel from the Williams' yard. The old man in- 
sisted that he liad seen and overheard enough to convince him 
that " divilish sacret wurruk of some kind " was going on, but 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 585 

as he could not give any intelligible account of his alleged dis- 
covery he failed to impress anybody with his apprehensions. 
It is pretty well settled now that the two women were endeav- 
oring to devise some plan ,to convey an account of Morgan's 
presence and forces to General Gillem, the Union commandant 
at Bull's Gap. 

The 3^ounger Mrs. Williams also had a motive for striking at 
Morgan, which should not be omitted from the history of this 
event. On a former visit of the general to Greenville, some 
weeks prior to his illness, a young and handsome Federal officer 
had been wounded in a skirmish and captured. General Mor- 
gan was, during that visit, staying at Mrs. Williams', and as 
the captured officer was plainly a refined and elegant gentle- 
man, permission was obtained to quarter him at the Williams 
mansion, where he could receive the attention of Morgan's 
staff surgeon. The wound proved to be much less serious than 
at first supposed, and in the course of several days the captive 
officer was pronounced able to travel to his home. He was 
paroled and expected in the course of that day or the next to 
depart. Mrs. Lucy Williams had been exceedingly attentive to 
the prisoner, and her kindness was attributed to her well known 
devotion to the Union. Dr. Cameron, General Morgan's chap- 
lain, an Episcopal clergyman, half-accidentally picked up a 
prayer book in one of the parlors, and turning the leaves a 
paper was exposed. The name of Morgan upon it excited his 
suspicion and an examination revealed a complete and detailed 
report of Morgan's forces, how they were disposed, and advice 
as to the best manner of surprising the Confederates. Investiga- 
tion proved that the document was in the handwriting of the 
prisoner, and that it was intended for transmission to the enemy 
there could be no doubt. This was a clear violation of the 
terms of parole, and instead of going home the captive was 
sent to prison. 

Mrs. Lucy Williams protested vehemently against the pen- 
alty, declaring it would kill the man to confine him in prison, 
and when her protestations failed she had recourse to threats 
and curses. She called down upon Morgan the vengeance of 
heaven, and vowed she would make him suffer if he consigned 
the Federal officer to a prison. Her threats were regarded as 
the ebullition of a high-tempered woman, and nobody paid any 
attention to them. Subsequent developments showed that 



586 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

there was more than a patriotic sentiment binding the prisoner 
and Mrs. Lucy Williams. She had conceived a violent passion 
for the handsome officer, who was not slow to encourage it, and 
it was for her lover that she was doing such fierce battle against 
the sentence of imprisonment. It is no slander upon Mrs. 
Williams to mention this, since her husband afterwards pro- 
cured a divorce from her on the ground of her infidelity to 
him, which was established by incontrovertible testimony. Her 
determination to avenge the imprisonment of her lover may be 
set down as another of those links in that chain of destiny 
which was being forged around Morgan. 

Through the steadily pouring rain, over roads badly cut up 
by the passage of artillery and heavy wagon trains, without the 
light of a single friendly star to show her the way, Mrs. Will- 
iams rode to Bull's Gap, reaching there towards midnight. 
Without giving a thought to her own condition or comfort, she 
urged upon the first Federal officer she saw immediate move- 
ment against Morgan. The indomitable spirit of the woman 
was manifested when the officer replied that a march to Green- 
ville that night was impossible; that a large proportion of the 
garrison consisted of re-enforcements, just arrived, and the 
horses were too much jaded for further use before " to-mor- 
row." She returned with emphasis that " to-morrow " would 
not do; that instant action on the part of the Unionists was 
necessary in order to avail anything. The officer could not be 
moved from his opinion by either Mrs. Williams' expostulations 
or entreaties, and with an impatient contempt for his reluctance 
to expose his precious person to the elements and to Confeder- 
ate bullets, she left him to seek General Gillem, the officer in 
command. 

She found Gillem, with some difficulty, as he had retired for 
the night, and repeated to him the urgent reasons for an instant 
march against Morgan that had been disregarded by one of the 
general's subordinates. Gillem hesitated. The woman, observ- 
ing his indecision, plied him with earnest entreaties to adopt 
her advice. "Order out your men, general," she pleaded, ''I 
can lead you into Greenville before the rebels know where you 
are. You can capture Morgan ! " She admonished Gillem that 
Morgan, if left to himself, would attack the Unionists next 
day, and that a sudden blow struck might beat him and save 
Union defeat. Her counsels prevailed and as soon as horses 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 587 

could be saddled and the troops formed, the Union column, 
with that intrepid woman as its guide, was en route to Green- 
ville. 

Mrs. Williams rode at the head of the troops, and with an 
impatient desire to attain the consummation of her adventurous 
ride, she often encouraged the men to force the speed of their 
horses. It was a rough march through that dreary, stormy 
night, and over roads that in places seemed to have no bottom, 
so deep was the mud; yet through mud and mire, with the rain 
beating upon her, unprotected by even an oil-cloth and drenched 
to the very skin, this daring woman rode on. I have been told 
that she rejected the offer of a soldier's oil-cloth, saying she 
was soaked, and that it could do no good. With a military tact 
that would have done credit to a general officer, she guided the 
Union cavalry to the only weak spot in our lines — that guarded 
by Vaughn's men. Riding beside the officer who commanded 
the advance, she advised him when he was near the picket line. 
[I subsequently had these facts from the lips of this same 
officer.] 

In anticipation of the videttes' challenge and probably a shot 
or two from that quarter, the officer in front begged Mrs. Will- 
iams to ride to the rear; but with a courage as daring as her 
spirit was determined she disdained the advice and kept her 
place in front. Neither challenge nor warning shot checked 
the onward movement of the Unionists, and just when they 
began to be mystified and naturally anxious at what appeared 
to be an ominous quiet where an enem}^ was expected, the mat- 
ter was explained by the discovery of Vaughn's videttes fast 
asleep. They had. seemingly, concluded that their post of ob- 
servation was unnecessary or that there was no danger. At 
any rate, they had dismounted, disposed themselves as comfort- 
ably at the root of a tree as the situation would admit of, and 
folding the drapery of their oil or gum cloths about their worth- 
less carcasses had sunk into a slumber so profound that they 
knew nothing of the approach of the enemy until they were 
fast prisoners. With the videttes secured the military skill 
and thorough knowledge of the country possessed by Mrs. Will- 
iams became again of value. She led the advancing foe by a 
route through fields and by-ways which flanked the main por- 
tion of Vaughn's camp. Indeed, it was not until the enemy 
were well in their rear that Vaughn's troops were aware of 



588 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

their proximity. Instead of promptly undertaking to repair 
the mischief done by a vigorous and determined attack upon 
the Unionists, the Tennesseeans simply defended themselves 
as they prepared to retreat in a direction that would lead them 
further from the other two brigades. 

Of course the residence of Mrs. Williams where Morgan 
quartered was the objective point of the Unionists, and while 
the main body kept up a desultory engagement with Vaughn's 
brigade a detachment headed for our chief. Some shots were 
exchanged in the streets of the town with straggling Con- 
federates, who, in disobedience of orders, had been having 
a good time wherever entertainment offered. The rattle of 
musketry had alarmed the inmates of the Williams residence. 
The elder Mrs. Williams rushed to General Morgan's chamber 
door and in an agonized voice cried out, "General, for God's 
sake, make your escape. The Yankees are in town! " She then 
ran to the chamber of her son to warn him and endeavor to 
provide for his safety. Morgan's first warning, however, had 
come from his faithful old officer, who, after abjuring the gen- 
eral to make all possible speed in getting away from the house, 
said, somewhat exultingly, "I tould ye them dommed Union 
wemmin were a hatching divilment last night." 

The Williams mansion, as has been stated, was situated at 
the corner of two principal streets. In the rear was a very 
large yard, filled chiefly with shade trees and ornamental 
shrubbery. Here and there throughout this yard vines had 
been trained over frames, forming such a mass of interwoven 
stems, leaves, and flowers that scarcely a ray of light could 
steal through. The yard terminated at a low picket fence, sep- 
arating it from a church, which occujjied the street corner back 
of the Williams place. 

As soon as General Morgan could draw on his boots and 
pantaloons and throw his holsters, containing a pair of re- 
volvers, across his shoulder, he passed from the chamber he 
had occupied into the main hall. Directing several of his staff 
to keep watch at the front of the house, he passed to the back 
door, and there encountered Miss Fannie, Mrs. Williams' young- 
est daughter, crying and wringing her hands in great distress at 
his danger. Patting her gently on the head, he said: " Don't 
cry, Miss Fannie; I'm all right now." He had seen Smith's 
battalion drawn up in line of battle almost within pistol range 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 589 

of him, and naturally he expected that his men would immedi- 
ately give the Yankees something to do besides looking for 
him. He stood at the door for an instant, doubtless expecting 
to see the battalion move towards him, but it remained as im- 
movable apparently as the hill upon which the line of battle 
was formed. 

At that instant a company of Federal cavalry fronted into 
line, facing the yard with the evident purpose of cutting off 
his retreat, and as he could hear the steps of the enemy at the 
front of the house, exclaiming " My God, why don't my men 
come to me I"' Morgan dashed into the yard and concealed 
himself behind one of the vine-covered frames I have described. 
His purpose doubtless was to remain hidden until an opportun- 
ity offea:'ed for escape. It is to be presumed that he was still 
momentarily expecting that Smith's battalion would charge the 
enemy, and that that would divert attention from him long 
enough for him to escape. But Mrs. Fry, the bushwhacker's 
wife, who from her house could overlook the whole yard, saw 
him secrete himself, and rushing toward the enemy she pointed 
out Morgan's hiding place, exclaiming, " There's the rebel 
general! there he is I'' 

There in that yard, in the little town of Greenville, on the 
morning of September 4, 18G4, John H. Morgan was killed. 
How we knew not. 

There have been various opinions as to the details of his 
death, the facts of which have never been revealed. 

The army of the dead commander became demoralized and 
many of them fled in confusion for their lives, while U\e remnant 
left retreated double-quick. 



A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. A SUCCESSFUL RAID. 



■CpHE only field officer left in Kemper's ^pERIIAPS the most successful raid 
(rebel) brigade after the great "^^^ of the war was made by the rebels 
charge upon Cemetery Hill, on the third in Septembei-, 1864, when a large force 
day of the battle of Gettysburg, was came within our lines around Peters- 
Colonel Mayo, of the 3d Va. Regt. burg and captured 2,500 head of cattle. 



590 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



SOME INTERESTING WAR PARAGRAPHS. 

Compiled from Townseud's War Library, N. Y, C. 
♦-♦ 



First (N. E.) Three Years' Reg'iment. 



First Steamer Captured. 



'THE 5th Vermont was the first New ''^P'tlE first boat captured by the rebels 
England *regiment to enlist for was the steamer Ocean Belle, capt- 

three years. ured at Helena, Ark. 



First Two Prisoners. 



First Draft Since 1812. 



"']|p'HE first two prisoners captured by MhE first draft since the war of 1812 
the Army of the Potomac were took place at Hartford, Conn., on 

taken by the 25th N. Y. State Militia. the 10th of September, 18G2. 



First Battle South of Arliansas River. Oldest Regiment of New York. 



't^ LK creek was the first battle of the 
war foucrht south of the Arkansas 



T'HE2dN.Y State Militia (82dVols.), 
f is the oldest regiment in the state 
of New York, and was the first to vol- 
unteer from New York for the war. 



Most Bayonet Wounds. 



^y^ORE bayonet wounds were inflicted 
upon our soldiers at the battle of 
Gaines Mills, than in any other battle 
of the war. 



Last Confederate to Surrender, 



1st N. Y. Reg-t.'s Prisoners. 

♦ 

h^IIE 1st N. Y. Cavalry Regt. claim 
to have captured more prisoners 
and property up to 1864, than any 
other cavalry regiment in the service. 
They had taken 3,000 prisoners. 



^HE last rebel to lay down his arms 
was Elias Hapner, a Tennessee 
guerrilla. Hapner committed murder in 
1881 and was shot at Leadville, Col., 
and killed. 



First Regt. to Defend the Capital. 



'TIP'HE first regiment from the state of 
New York to march to the defen>e 
of the Capital was the 7th Militia 
Reo't. 



The Father of GreenhacliS. 



Last Man Shot (Potomac Army). 



THE treasury note or greenback sys- h^HE last man shot in the Army of 
n , 1 1 ^ ,1 i', -^ xl^ _ -O-i. „ n„„J- All i. r\ 



tern was first suggested by the late 
Mr. Silas M. Stillwell, of New York. 
Mr. Stillwell and not the late Secretary 
Chase should have been called the 
" Father of Greenbacks." 



the Potomac was Capt. Albert O. 
Skipp, 15th N. Y. Cavalry. Tt occurred 
just after the surrender of Lee's army, 
when a squad of rebel cavalry tried to 
escape. 



Relies of Qi^ciersoFiuirfe. 



CLARA BARTON, AND HER WORK OF MERCY. 

By Mrs. FKAXCES B. GACE. 



j^ 



N a small room on the third floor of a building in Wash- 
ington, D. C, I sit me down to pen this letter. No 
mirrors flash back light or beauty from these walls; no 
Vandykes, Raphaels, or Rubens create envy in the 
bosom of the passer by. Its plain, cheap carpet, its chairs, its 
tables, — for use, not ornament, — wear no gorgeous coverings, 
but bear the burdens of days of toil and nights of watching and 
weariness, in the form of ledgers, and boxes filled with docu- 
ments, that have been the coinage, every one of them, of ach- 
ing hearts. 

Yonder, in the corner, is a cabinet. A few plain board 
shelves are set against the wall, containing the most unique, 
priceless treasures in the world. No costly gems glitter there; 
no exquisite shells from the depths of the sea entrance with 
their splendor of color and form; no birds with gaudy plumage 
remind us of nature's magnificence in some far off isle of the 
ocean. Nay, none of that! Oh! pen of mine, write quietly; 
oh! eyes, put back your tears. Cease, throbbing heart, your 
painful pulsations, while I tell the story as best I can. 

Come nearer; let us look at these things. The bits of tin, per- 
forated with holes, were once bottoms and sides of canteens, or 
oyster cans, grown old and rusty with use, gathered up by weary 
hands and pierced by nails to make sieves through which to 
pass the meal made of corn, "ground cob and all," which 
formed the rations of our soldier prisoners at Andersonville. 

The rusty oyster cans, with a bail of old wire rudely adjusted, 
were the kettles in which they gathered the bones, and rebelled 
them to make soup. Those paddles, soiled and grim at the 
handles and scoured at the base with constant use, stirred the 
coarse meal and water together into mush for starving men. 

(591) 



503 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Those splits of wood, woven together like chair bottoms, were 
the plates they used. 

See you these little wooden troughs, whittled with a jack-knife, 
rough, tiny, some not holding a half -pint? They held the 
meager meal when cooked. These are the spoons of wood that 
conveyed the loathsome food to their famished lips. These 
cows' horns, wrought , into drinking cups; these little tubs of 
chips of wood, hooped about with tow strings, served the same 
purpose. One oyster can, for which no bail could be found, 
has a strip of tin cut from the top, with short, narrow bits for 
hinges, and thus, as a kettle for cooking, was made to do its 
noble service. 

Those bits of board! Some careless, untaught eye might 
take them for kindling wood. As I write, I ask myself, is the 
theory that spirits of the dead linger around the scenes 
of joy or sorrow that they knew in this life a true one? If so, 
how many thousands are looking down this night at the 
thoughts I am tracing with my pen! Those bits of scantling, 
broken, unplaned, five inches wide, and two or three feet long, 
are fragments of the " dead-line " at Andersonville. He, who, 
starved, maddened, reckless, preferred death to continued tor- 
ture, had but to pass this brittle boundary to be ushered in- 
stantly into tlie presence of him who has said, " Vengeance is 
mine, I will repay." 

Turn this way. That board, leaning in the corner, with its 
black figures "7, GOG"' at the top, is the head-board which 
Wirz — he has gone to his account, I will use no adjectives with 
his name — suffered to be placed where one dear and nearly 
akin to her who gathered these relics was laid away in that 
vast cemetery of murdered men. 

7, GOG! Can you realize it? Seven thousand six hundred and 
six prisoners, who, starved, scorched in the burning sun, mad- 
dened, hopeless, prayed for death and found in their shallow 
graves surcease from anguish! And 7, GOG is scarce half. On, 
on, on, — up, up, up go the numbers to 12,920 that have been 
found, recognized, and marked. Oh! God of mercy, is there, 
can there be produced such another record of the results of 
slavery as this! 

But let us look further. These bayonets were picked up in 
that Golgotha, and this letter box into which thousands, aye, 
tens of thousands of letters were dropped, but never one went 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 593 

out to gladden the oppressed hearts of friends! Perhaps no five 
pieces of timber were ever nailed together that have enclosed 
so many tales of distress, or so few of happiness or joy, as these. 

This is the worn-out stump of hickory broom, with which the 
skeleton hands tried to keep clean; this a ball from one of the 
many guns that were mounted on the seven forts surrounding 
the prison. A paroled prisoner asked of Wirz one day: — 

" What will you do with us if Sherman's army comes to the 
rescue?"' 

"By tam! I puts you in the stockade. I turn de guns on 
you, and blow de brains out of every tam one. " 

But, let me stay this fearful record, and tell how these things 
came to be here in Washington, Miss Clara Barton, in whose 
little parlor I find them, brought them with her on her return 
from her expedition to Andersonville, where she went, by 
request of Secretary Stanton, in company with Capt. James M. 
Moore, A. Q. M., to inclose the grounds of the Andersonville 
cemetery, and identify the graves and mark them with head- 
boards, which expedition was inaugurated, at her request, by 
the heads of the department. 

" I gathered these things up," said Miss Barton to me, " and 
was told their uses at the peaces where I found them. I 
brought out some from the deep burrows our men had made — 
those caves dug out by their weak hands to shelter them f roin 
burning heats and chilling dews, and into which many crept, 
never to emerge again, till their fellows bore them to their last 
resting place." 

Was I wrong in saying her cabinet contained the most unique 
and priceless treasures in the world? Many a mother, wife, or 
sister would gladly exchange her gold and jewels for those rec- 
ords of the last days of some loving heart so frightfully stilled. 
One lady, looking at them with tears coursing down her cheeks, 
exclaimed, " I would exchange my diamronds for these." 

"Your diamonds could not buy them," was the answer of 
the heroic woman who has done so much to ease the sorrow of 
a nation. 

As I said, these tables bear the burdens of aching hearts. 
Six thousand letters from bereaved friends, who have asked 
her to help them find their missing dead! And still they come. 
Still the mother cries out in anguish and suspense, " What has 
become of my boy?" Still the wife pleads to know of him who 



594 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

was her all, whom she gave to her country to die for it, if need 
be; but not to be lost, uncared for and unsought. One hundred 
letters a day often lay upon Miss Barton's table, every one 
freighted with sorrow. 

Do you wonder that I sit in awe in this almost sublime room! 
Do you wonder that I ask, "Is the theory true that spirits 
can linger near mortals upon earth?" If so, will they not be 
here, breathing over this kind, gentle woman, to help her in 
her benevolent work? Do they not long to have those they 
loved, and who still wander in life asking for them, let into the 
secret of their fate? 

Six thousand letters! Some of them giving the names of 
twelve or fifteen missing men, and each requiring an answer 
to the individual who wrote it: and five, ten, twenty, thirt}^ 
even seventy-five letters of inquiry to gain the information 
needed to reply to its queries. 

Some of you who read this have, perhaps, seen Miss Barton's 
"Roll of Missing Men," and her request appended to that " roll" 
for information. You may suppose those names are all she has 
gathered, and wonder that she has no more. You imagine she 
has gone to the quartermaster's department or muster-roll for 
that number. Let it be known that every name on that list has 
been taken from some letter of friends, which is now on file in 
her possession, asking for the missing. Most of these letters 
are from women, either in their own handwriting or that of an 
agent, telling their own story of loss and sorrow. 

Friends must be patient, thankful for what has been done, 
and trusting for the future. While Clara Barton lives and 
can work, she will not forget the widow in her affliction, 
or let the fatherless ask in vain, or disappoint the mother's 
hope — if it is possible to do otherwise. 

One thing more. Let it be everywhere understood this is a 
private enterprise begun and wholly sustained by Miss Barton. 
She receives no salary from any department of government, or 
association of the people, and is responsible to the people only 
through her promise to do this work. 



^ — I ^TTeKr&T®^ — ^- 





GENERAL GRANT'S RECORD, 

From Birth to Close of the "War. 



>LYSSES Simpson Grant, born at Mt. Pleasant, Cler- 
[^ mont county, Ohio, April 27, 1822. 

Family removed to Georgetown, Brown county, 
Ohio, 1823. 

Appointed cadet at West Point by Hon. T. L. Hamer, 1839. 

Graduated June 30, 18-13, standing number twenty-one in a 
class of thirty-eight members. Entered on the army rolls as 
brevet second lieutenant, and assigned to Fourth Infantry, on 
the Missouri frontier, as a supernumerary. 

Commissioned September 30, 184:5, second lieutenant of 
infantry. 

Went in Taylor's army to Mexico, and took part in all the 
actions, from Palo Alto, May 8, 1816, to Monterey, September 
23, 1846. 

Transferred to Scott's army, and took part in the siege of 
Vera Cruz. 

Assigned as quartermaster of his regiment, April, 1847. 

In the battle of Molino del Rey, September, 1847, promoted on 
the field, by General Scott, to first lieutenant, for distin- 
guished gallantry. 

Battle of Chapultepec, September 13, 1847; officially noticed 
for gallantry by General Worth. 

Entered the City of Mexico with the army. 

Sent to the Pacific coast at the close of the war, and assigned 
to duty in Oregon, with headquarters at Port Dallas. 

Appointed brevet captain LSoO, for services at Chapultepec. 

Commissioned captain, August, 1853. 

Resigned July 31, 1854; spent a few years in business in St. 
Louis, and in farming. 

Removed to Galena, Illinois, and, with his father, established 
there the leather house of Grant & Son, 1850. 

Appointed mustering officer and aide to Governor Yates, of 
Illinois, at Springfield, April, 1801. 

(595) 



59G CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

Commissioned colonel of Twenty-first Illinois (three years) 
Volunteers, June, 15, 'Gl. 

Appointed brigadier-general by President Lincoln, August, 
1861 (commission dated back to May 17), and placed in com- 
mand of the District of Cairo. 

Occupied Paducah, Kentucky, by a surprise movement, 
September 8, 1861. 

Defeated Jeff Thompson, at Greenville, October 16, 1864. 

Battle of Belmont, November 7, 1861. 

Moved up the Tennessee, and with Foote's iron-clads, capt- 
ured Fort Henry, February 6, 1862. 

Invested Fort Donelson February 11, and captured it Febru- 
ary 16, by the unconditional surrender of the enemy. 

Promoted to be major-general of volunteers, commission 
dating from the fall of Fort Donelson. 

Advance against Corinth, March, 1863. 

Battle of Pittsburg Landing, April 7 and 8, 1862. 

Placed in command of the Army of the Tennessee, April lo; 
occupied Memphis and Holly Springs in June; made command- 
er of the Department of Tennessee in July. 

Began the campaign against Vicksburg, October 25, 1862; 
captured the city after a long and bloody winter and spring- 
campaign, July 4. 186)3. 

Appointed major-general in the regular army. 

Severely injured by being thrown from his horse at New 
Orleans, September, 1863; three ribs broken. 

Appointed to command of the Military Division of the Mis- 
sissippi, October, 1863, and announced headquarters in the field, 
arriving at Chattanooga, October 23. 

Battles of Missionary Ridge and Lookout Mountain, Novem- 
ber 24 and 25, 1863, driving Bragg from before Chattanooga. 

Appointed and confirmed Lieutenant-General of the army, 
March 2, 1864, the grade being created for him. 

Arrived at Washington, March 8, 1864. 

Assumed command of all the Union armies, headquarters 
with the Army of the Potomac, March 13, 1864. 

Crossed the Rapidan. May 3, 1864. 

May 5, 6 and 7, battles of the Wilderness. 

May 11, *' I shall fight it out on this line if it takes all sum- 
mer." 

May 29, crossed the Pamunkey. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



597 



Crossed the James and placed Richmond and Petersburg 
under siege June l-i. Constant battles during the summer, fall, 
and winter. 

Began the final campaign of the war, March 25, 1865. 

Battle of Five Forks, March 31, and April 1. 

Occupation of Richmond, April 2. 

Surrender of Lee's army, April 9, 1865, and substantial end 
of the war. 



COUNT ZOWASKI. 



[An old man named Zowaski, ninety-two years of age, and a native of Poland, before Russia 
blotted tbat country from the map of Europe, was arrested in 1884 by the town authorities of 
Frederick, Md., and sentenced to thirty days' imprisonment for being a tramp. This unfortunate 
man once belonged to the Polish nobility with the title of count; served under Napoleon on the 
bloody flelds of Auaterlitz and Leipzig, and was in the disastrous retreat from Moscow, where 
30,000 soldiers wei'e frozen to death in a single night. He participated also in the unsuccessful 
attempt against the government of Prussia in 1848, and came to this country with Carl Shurz in 
1851. At the age of seventy, he volunteered in a Pennsylvania regiment, and served in the Federal 
army in our civil war, under General Sigel.] 



/(j^ONE, seated in the dim, gray 
^ light- _ 

6" Look on him through his prison 
bars ! 

This veteran of the long gone wars ! 

This man with honest battle scars ! 
Columbia weep, at such a sight ! 

Poor soldier of red Austerlitz ! 

Of Leipzig's stern and bloody fray ! 

Of Moscow's bitter frozen way ! 

So desolate hath come the day, 
That in a prison cell he sits ! 

This man that heard the thunder sound 
Of cannon that all Europe rocked ! 
In which all Europe's fate was locked ! 
Whose echoes all the nations shocked ! 

Now left alone ! No friend around ! 

He, who his manhood's bosom bared 
Near threescore years and ten ago, 
To battle's stern, relentless woe, 
Whose comrades long have moldered 
low, 

A common felon's cell hath shared ! 



And this, old man, is your reward? 

For this, at threescore years and ten. 

You served our country's cause and 
when 

You needed help, we gave you then — 
Imprisonment ? A turnkey guard ? 

What charge is laid against thy door? 

Thy trembling hands with palsy 
numb, 

Hath murder stain upon them come ? 

Doth such a crime pursue thee home ? 
No ! Heaven only made thee poor ! 

Because of lucre thou hast not, 
Of what avail are all thy deeds ? 
Who cares to know thy bitter needs ? 
While God is served by Mammon's 
creeds. 

Thou mayest like a felon rot. 

Columbia ! This is thine own son ; 
His wrongs i-eproach thee for redress ; 
He came from far off lands to press 
His service in thy sore distress. 

Be thy decree, " Be justice done ! " 



598 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



THOMAS At GKIGKAMAaSA. 



By KATE BROWNLEE SHERWOOD. 



[The incident upon which the following poem is based, is related by General James B. Steed- 
man, as occurring when he reported with lour thousand tresh troops to General Thomas, at 
Chickamauga. 



jjfT was tliat fiei'ce contested field 
when Cliickaniauga lay 
Beneath the wild tornado that 
^ swept her pride away; 
Her dimpling dales and circling hills 

dyed crimson with the flood 
That had its soui"ces in the springs that 
throb with human blood. 



Who does not mind that sturdy form, 

that steady heart and hand, 
That calm repose and gallant mien, 

that courage kigh and grand ? 
O God, who givest nations men to 

meet their lofty needs, 
Vouchsafe another Thomas when our 

country prostrate bleeds ! 



" Go, say to General Ilarker to re- 
enforce his right ! " 

Said Thomas to his aide-de-camp wlien 
wildly went the fight; 

In front the battle thundered, it roared 
both right and left, 

But like a rock, " Pap " Thomas stood 
upon the crested cleft. 



They fought with all the fortitude of 

earnest men and true, — 
The men who wore the rebel gray, the 

men wlio wore the blue ; 
And those, they fought most valiantly 

for petty state and clan, 
And these, for truer Union and the 

brotherhood of man. 



" Where will I find you. General, when 

I return? " the aide 
Leaned on liis bridle rein to wait the 

answer Thomas made; 
The old chief like a lion turned, his 

pale lips set and sere, 
And shook his mane and stamped his 

foot and fiercely answered, 

" Here! " 



Tliey come, those hurling legions, with 

banners splashed witli blood. 
They dash against our columns -s^ith 

mighty shock and thud ; 
Till 'neath the blistering iron hail the 

shy and frightened deer 
Go scurrying from their forest haunts 

to plunge in wilder fear. 



The floodtide of fraternal sti'ife rolled 

upward to his feet, 
And, like the breakers on the shore, 

the thunderous clamors beat ; 
The sad earth rocked and reeled with 

woe, the earth shrieked out in pain, 
And hill and vale were groaning with 

the burden of the slain. 



Beyond, our lines are broken, and now 

in frenzied rout 
The flower of the Cumberland has 

swiftly faced about; 
And horse and foot and color-guard 

are reeling rear and van. 
And in the awful panic man forgets that 

he is man. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



599 



Now Bragg, with pride exultant, above 

our broken wings 
Tlie might of all his army against 

" Pap " Thomas brings; 
They're massing to the right of him, 

they're massing to the left. 
Ah, God be with our hero who holds 

the crested cleft 1 

Blow, blow, ye echoing bugles ; give 
answer, screaming shell ; 

Go, belch your murderous fury, ye bat- 
teries of hell ; 

Ring out, O impious musket ; spin on, 
O shattering shot, — 

Our smoke encircled hero, he hears but 
heeds ye not I 

Now steady, men, now steady! make one 

more valiant stand. 
For gallant Steedman's coming, his 

forces well in hand ! 
Close up your shattered columns, take 

steady aim and true, 
The chief who loves you as his life will 

live or die with you ! 

By solid columns on they come, by 
columns they are hurled. 

As down the eddying rapids the storm- 
swept booms are whirled ; 

And when the ammunition fails, O 
moment drear and di'ead, 

The hero loads his musket from the 
rounds of conn-ades dead. 

God never set His signet on the hearts 

of braver men, 
Or fixed the goal of victory on higher 

heights than then ; 



With bayonets and muskets clubbed, 
they close the rush and roar; 

Their stepping stones to glory are their 
conn-ades gone before. 

O vanished majesty of days not all for- 
gotten yet. 

We consecrate unto thy praise one 
hour of deep regret ; 

One hour to them whose days were 
years of glory that shall flood 

The Nation's somber night of tears, of 
carnage, and of blood ! 

O vanished majesty of days when 
men were gauged by worth. 

Set crowned and dowered in the way to 
jvidge the sons of earth ; 

When all the little great fell down be- 
fore the great unknown. 

And priest put off the hampering gown 
and coward donned his own 1 

O vanished majesty of days that saw 

the sun shine on 
The deeds that wake sublimer praise 

than Ghent or Marathon ; 
When patriots in homesj)un rose, where 

one was called for, ten. 
And heroes sprang full-armored from 

the humblest walks of men ! 

O vanished majesty of days ! Rise type 

and mould to-day. 
And teach our sons to follow on where 

duty leads the way ; 
That whatsoever trial comes, defying 

doubt and fear, 
They in the thickest fight shall stand 

and proudly answer " Here." 



coo CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

ARLINOTON HKIQHTS. 



S. M. CARPENTER. 



^ 



0*^^ HE tents that whitened Arling- 

i^ O ^*^'^ have vanished from the 

fields, 

And plenty -where the cannon 

stood a golden harvest yields; 

The camp fires gleam no more at night, 

and pleasant mornings come. 
Without the blare of bugles or the beat- 
ing of the drum. 

The rushes by the river side thrill with 

the reed bird's song, 
And bend to kiss the ripples as the 

waters flow along ; 
The robins stray beneath the oaks, the 

partridge calls its In-ood, 
And whistles down the valleys with a 

confidence renewed. 

All through the widening rifle-pits the 

grass is growing green, 
And autumn wild flowers blossom where 

the bivouacs have been ; 
The days seem like a sunny dream and 

night falls gently down 
In silence, broken only by the murnuir 

from the town. 

But, though the camps have vanished 
and the tents are laid away, 

An army waits upon the knolls in un- 
disturbed array. 

A legion without banners, that knows 
no music, save 

The moiling of the dead march, and a 
volley o'er a grave. 

Here comrades that together strove, 

with all of life at stake, 
Lie side by side in slumber no bugle 

call can wake ; 



No shock can ever break their ranks, 
no blast their columns thin, 

Nor one deserter leave the corps their 
grim chief nuisters in. 

Spring twines its garlands o'er their 
heads, but they never cull its 
flowers, 

And peaceful winter evenings bring to 
them no happy hours ; 

Tears fall at home, they heed them not, 
and care no more to earn 

The love that waited patiently to wel- 
come their return. 

Alas ! what dreams of life and love 

have ended in these grounds ! 
How many hopes are buried in these 

little grassy mounds ! 
How many hearts have felt the pang 

the lips could never tell, 
And broken, striving to believe " He 

doeth all things well " 1 

'Tis sweet to think the war is o'er ; that 
all its bitter pain 

Was measured for our chastening and 
not endured in vain ; 

And dearer still it is to know that in 
the coming years 

A nation's happiness will bless our of- 
ferings and our tears. 

The memory of the fallen is a heritage 
of pride 

That can never be forgotten and no 
faithlessness divide ; 

While yesterdays renew to us, with 
smiles that shall not cease, 

Their promise of a never-ending Sab- 
bath day of peace ! 



THE DRUMMER BOY ». OF MISSION RIDGE 




Nov. 25, '/^^^Wf^sM 1S63. 

WRITTEN BY KATE Vl^^-^E^K BROWNLEE SHERWOOD, 



l^o John S. Kountz, commander of the Department of Ohio, G. A. R, this slorji 
of his experience at Mission Ridge, tvhile serving as drummer boi/ of the '67 Ih 0. T. 
/. is dedicated, as a slight testimonial to his courage on the feld of battle, and his 
fidelity to the veteran's bond of union, " Fraterniti/, Charity, and Loyalty."} 



fID evei" yoii hear of the Drummer Boy of Mission Ridge who lay 
With his face to the foe, 'iieath the enemy's guns in the charge of that 
terrible day? 
They were firing above him and firing below, and the tempest of shot and shell 
AVas raging like death as he moaned in his pain, by the breastwoi'ks whei-e he fell. 

We had burnished our muskets and filled our canteens, as we waited for orders 

that morn — 
Wiio knows when the soldier is dying of thirst, where the wounded are wailing 

forlorn V — 
When forth from the squad that was ordered back from the burst of that 

furious fire 
Our Drummer Boy came and his face was aflame with the light of a noble desire. 

" Go back with your corps," our colonel had said, but he waited the moment when 
He might follow the ranks and shoulder a gun with the best of us bearded men ; 
And so when the signals from old Fort Wood set an army of veterans wild 
He flung down his drum, which spun down the hill like the ball of a wayward child. 

And so he fell in with the foremost ranks of brave old Company G, 

As we charged by the flank, with our colors ahead, and our columns closed up 

Jike a V, 
In the long swinging lines of that splendid advance, when the flags of our corps 

floated out. 
Like the ribbons that dance in the jubilant lines of the march of a gala day rout. 

He charged with the ranks, though he carried no gun, for the colonel had said 

him nay, 
And he breasted the blast of the bustling guns and the shock of the sickening 

fray ; 
And when by his side they were falling like hail, he sprang to a comrade slain, 
And shouldered his musket and bore it as true as the hand that was dead to pain. 

(601) 



602 CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 

'Twas dearly we loved him, our Drummer Boy, with a fire in his bright black eye, 
That flashed forth a spirit too great for his form — he was only just so high, 
As tall perhaps as your little lad who scarcely reaches your shoulder — 
Though his heart was the heart of a veteran then — a trifle, it maybe, the bolder. 

He pressed to the front, our lad so leal, and the works were almost won, 
A moment more and our flags had swung o'er the muzzle of murderous gun 
IJut a raking fire swept the van and he fell 'mid the wounded and slain, 
With his wee, w^an face turned up to Him who feeleth His children's pain. 

Again and again our lines fell back, and again with shivering shocks 
U'hey flung themselves on the rebels' works as the fleet on the jagged I'ocks ; 
To be crushed and broken and scattered amain, as the wrecks of the surging 

storm, 
Where none may rue and none may reck of aught that has human form. 

So under the Ridge we were lying for the order to charge again. 
And we counted our comrades missing and we counted our comrades slain ; 
And one said, "Johnnie, our Drummer Boy, is grievously shot and lies 
Just under the enemy's breastworks ; if left on the field he dies." 

Then all the blood that was in me surged up to my aching brow. 

And my heart leaped up like a ball in my throat — I can feel it even now. 

And I swore I would bring that boy from the field if God would spare my breath, 

If all the guns on Mission Ridge should thunder the threat of death. 

I crept and crept up the ghastly Ridge, by the wounded and the dead, 
With the moans of my conu'ades right and left, behind me and yet ahead, 
Till I came to the form of our Drummer Boy, in his blouse of dusty blue, 
With his face to the foe, 'neath the enemy's guns where the blast of the battle 
blew. 

And his gaze as he met my own, God wot, would have melted a heart of stone, 
As he tried like a wounded bird to rise, and placed his hand in my own ; 
So wan and faint, with his ruby-red blood drank deep by the pitiless sward, 
While his breast with its fleeting, fluttering breath throbbed painfully slow and 
hard. 

And he said in a voice half smothered, though its whisperings thrill me yet, 
" I think in a moment more that I would have stood on that parapet. 
For my feet have trodden life's rugged ways, and I have been used to climb 
Where some of the boys have slipped, I know, but I never missed a time. 

" But now I never more will climb, and, sergeant, when you see 
The men go up those breastworks there, just stoop and waken me ; 
For though I cannot make the charge and join the cheers that rise, 
I may forget my pain to see the old flag kiss the skies." 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 603 

Well, iu was hard to treat him so — his poor limb shattered sore — 

But I raised him to my shoulder and to the surgeon bore, 

And tlie boys who saw us coming each gave a shout of joy, 

Tliough some in curses clothed their prayers, for him, our Drummer Boy. 

When sped the news that " Fighting Joe " had saved the Union right. 
With his legions fresh f I'om Lookout ; and that Thomas massed his might 
And forced the rebel center ; and our cheering ran like wild, 
And Sherman's heart was happy as the heart of a little child ; 

When Grant from his lofty outlook saw our flags by the hundred fly 
Along the shores of Mission Ridge, where'er he cast his eye ; 
And our Drummer Boy heard the news and knew the battle done, 
The valiant contest ended, and the glorious victory won ; 

Tlien he smiled in all his agony beneath the surgeon's steel, 
And joyed that his the blood to flow his country's woes to heal; 
And his bright, black eyes so yearning grew strangly glad and wide — 
I think that in that hour of joy he would have gladly died. 

Ah, ne'er again our ranks wei'e cheered by our little Drummer's drum, 
AVhen rub, rub, rub-adub-dub, we knew that our hero had come ; 
Beat brisk at morn, beat sharp at eve, rolled long when it called to arms, 
With rub, rub, rub-adub-dub, 'mid the clamor of rude alarms ! 

Ah, ne'er again our black-eyed boy looked up in the veteran's face, 
To waken thoughts of his children safe in mother love's embrace ! 
O, ne'er again with tripping feet he ran with the other boys, — 
His budding hopes were cast away as they were idle toys. 

But ever in our hearts he dwells, with a grace that never is old. 

For him the heart to duty wed can nevermore grow cold, 

His heart the hero's heart, we name the loyal, true, and brave — 

The heart of the soldier hoar and gray, of the lad in his Southern grave ! 

And when they tell of their heroes, and the laurels they have won — 
Of the scars they are doomed to carry, of the deeds that they have done ; 
Of the honor to be biding among the ghastly dead, ^ 

The gory sod beneath them, the bursting shell o'erhead, 

My heart goes back to Mission Ridge and the Drummer Boy who lay 
With his face to the foe, 'neath the enemy's guns, in the charge of that terrible day; 
And I say that the land that bears such sons is crowned and dowered with all 
The dear God giveth nations to stay them lest they fall. 

O, glory of Mission Ridge, stream on, like the roseate light of morn, 

On the sons that now are living, on the sons that are yet unborn ! 

And cheers for our comrades living and tears for those passed away ! 

And three times three for the Drummer Boy who fought at the front that day! 




HISTORY OF THE STARS AND STRIPES. 



fVERY nation has its symbolic ensign. Some have beasts, birds, fishes or 
reptiles in their banners. Onr forefathers chose the stars and stripes, the 
red telling of the blood shed bj' them for their country ; the blvie, of the 
heavens and their protection, and the stars represent a constellation of States. 
The idea was taken from the constellation Lyra, which signifies harmony. The 
blue of the field was taken from the edges of the Covenanters' banner, significant 
of the league and covenant against oppression, involving the virtues of vigilance, 
perseverance, and justice. The thirteen stripes and stars showed the number of the 
united colonies. The whole was a blending of the various flags previous to the 
Union flag — the red one of the army and the white one of the floating batteries. 
The red color denotes daring and defiance, and the white purity. 

Our banner with its stars and strijies is a familiar ol)]ect; everybody has seen 
it and admired it, and no wonder, for it is the handsomest flag in the world. 
Red. white, and blue — those alternate red and white stripes in beautiful con- 
trast with the blue field bedecked with stars, as though a piece of the sky had 
been taken to add more beauty to our national emblem, which makes it, in 
truth, " The Star Spangled Banner." 

The first flag, combining thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, was made in Phil- 
adelphia, by Mrs. John Ross, in a small two-story house. No. 239 Arch street 
(house still standing). A committee of Congress, accompanied by General 
Washington, called upon ]\lrs. Ross and engaged her to make a flag from a drawing 
made by General Washington, with pencil, in her back parlor. The flag thus 
designed was adopted by a resolution of Congress, on the 14th of June, 1777. 

Karly in 1794, in consequence of the admission of Vermont, March, 1791, and 
Kentucky, June, 1792, into the Union, an act was passed increasing the stars and 
stripes from thirteen to fifteen, to take effect May, 1795. 

The admission of the States of Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, and Indiana made 
changes in the flag necessary. Accordingly, on the admission of Indiana, a com- 
mittee was appointed, and through the exertion of Hon. Peter Wendover, of 
New York, the following law was enacted : — 

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES. 

Skction 1. — Be it enacted, etc.. That from and after the fourth day of July next, the flag of 
the United States be thirteen horizontal stripes, alternate red and white; that the union have 
twenty stars, white in a blue field. 

Sko. 2. — And be it further enacted. That on the admission of every new St.ate into the Union 
one star be added to the union of the flag, and that such addition shall take effect on the fourth 
of July next succeeding such admission. 

Approved April 4, 1818. 

Fifty million people of this country honor, love, revere, and recognize this flag 
as the national ensign. The little child plays with it as a toy and the strongman 
forsakes home and family, and, if need be, lays down his life to protect its honor. 
Its mute eloquence needs no aid to interpret its significance. Fidelity to the 
Union blazes from its stars, allegiance to the government beneath which we live 
is wrapped in its folds. 

(604) 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



605 



THK HERO OK RODMAN'S POINT. 



[On the 30th of March, 1863, a large rebel force surrounded Washington, N. C, which place was 
garrisoned at the time by some l,l()U men, composed of the 27th and 44th Mass., and detach- 
ments of the 3d N. Y. Artillery, 3d N. Y. Cavalry, and the Ist N. C. Union Volunteers. On the 
evening of the above date. Captain Lyons, with a company of the 1st N. C, crossed the Pamlico 
river, to occupy Rodman's Point, below the town, and as their flat boat struck bottom, near the 
shore, a heavy volley was fired upon them from the enemy, in ambush. Sixteen men were killed 
or wounded. The men threw themselves upon the bottom of the boat, hardly knowing what to do, 
when a colored man arose, saying: "Some one's got to die to get out of dis 'ere, an' it might as 
well be nie." He at once jumped overboard, pushed the flat boat into the stream, and. as it 
swung clear, he fell mortally wounded, his body fairly riddled with bullets. This noble act is 
touchiugly told in the poem.] 

READY. 

By PHCEBE GARY. 



tOADED with gallant soldiers, 
A boat shot into the land, 
And lay at the right of Rodman's 
Point, 
With her keel upon the sand. 

Lightly, gayly, they came to shore, 

And never a man afraid ; 
When sudden the enemy opened fire 

From his deadly ambuscade. 

Each man fell flat on the bottom 
Of the boat ; and the captain said : 

" If we lie here, we all are captured, 
And the first who moves is dead 1 " 



Then out spoke a negro sailor, 

No slavish soid had he ; 
" Somebody's got to die, boys, 

And it might as well be me ! " 

Firmly he rose, and fearlessly 

Stepped out into the tide ; 
He pushed the vessel safely off, 

Then fell across her side ; 

Fell, pierced by a dozen bullets, 
As the boat swung clear and free; 

But there wasn't a man of them tiuit 
day 
Who was fitter to die than he ! 



JMUSTERED OUT. 

HENRY W. LONGFELLOW. 



n^ SOLDIER of the Union mu.stered And doomed battalions, storming tlie 

'--'' out," redoubt. 

Is the inscription of an unknown Thou unknown hero sleeping by the 

grave sea 

At Newport News, beside the salt sea In thy forgotten grave ! with secret 

wave, shame 

Nameless and dateless; sentinel or I feel my pulses beat, my forehead 

scout burn. 

Shot down in skirmish, or disastrous AVhen I remember thou hast given for 

rout me 

Of battle, when the loud artillery All that thou hast, thy life, thy very 

drave name, 
Its iron wedges through the ranks of And I can give thee nothing in re- 
brave tuni. 



606 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



CALIBER FIKTY=KOUR. 



By WILL CARLETON. 



{(^(^AY, General, say!" the courier 

'^^ said 

'^(5^ (A boy of thirteen years), 
"Our regiment's scant of powder and 
lead ; 

'Most out, the Colonel fears. 
The men, they have lield the ground, 
while I 

This message swiftly bore. 
Be quick, and send 'em a fresh supply! 

It's caliber fifty-four." 

"Now you are young," the General 
said, 

" To run so stern a race ; 
Some older man might come instead. 

Through such a dangerous place." 
" They couldn't be spared," the boy 
began ; 

" I'm youngest of the cor2:)s ; 
And so — but, say ! be quick, old man I 

It's caliber fifty-four." 

" Now you are hurt," the General said : 

" There's blood here on your breast. 
Go back to the I'ear and take my bed. 

And have some needful rest." 
" Not nuich ! " said the boy, with 
half-hid sneer ; 

" I can't be spared no more ; 
My regiment's nowhere nigh the rear — 

It's caliber fifty-four." 



" But where'syour horse? " the General 
said ; 

" Afoot you cannot be ? " 
" Oh, a cannon-ball tore off his head, 

And didn't come far from me ; 
And bullets warbled around, j'ou bet 

(One through my right arm tore); 
But I'm a horse, and a colt to let ! 

I'm caliber fifty-four." 

" Your parents, boy ? " the General 
said: 

" Where are they ? — dead, it seems." 
" Oh, they are what the world calls 
dead. 

But come to nie in dreams ; 
They tell me to be brave alway, 

As father was before ; 
Then mother kisses me — but say 1 

It's caliber fifty-four." 

" They'll soon be there," the General 
said, 
" Those cartridges you claim ; 
My staff's best horse you'll ride, in- 
stead 
Of that on which you came." 
Away tiie boy, his spurs sharp set, 

Across that field of gore. 
Still shouting back, " Now don't for- 
get ! 
It's caliber fifty-four." 



^^ 



First tiovernment Loan, '61, 



MISSISSIPPI BLOCKADE. 



■^IIE highest bid for the first govern- |»HK first point at which tlie rebels 

ment loan, February, 1861, was *^^*^ connnenced the erection of works 

made by the Bank of the llepublic, in blockading the Mississippi river was at 

New Yoi'k city. Vicksburg. 



BATTLE-FIELD ECHOES. 



607 



A Second Review of the Grand Army. 



By BRKT HARTE. 



fRE AD last night of the grand review 
In Washington's chiefest avenue — 
Two hundred thousand men in blue 
I think they said was the numbei- — 
Till I seemed to hear their tramping 

feet, 
The bugle's blast, and the drum's quick 

beat, 
The clatter of hoofs in the stony street, 
The cheers of the people who came to 

greet. 
And the thousand details that to repeat 
Would only my verse encumber — 
Till I fell in a revery sad and sweet, 
And then to a fitful slumber. 

When, lo ! in a vision T seemed to stand. 
In a lonely capitol. On each hand 
Far stretched the portico, dim and grand, 
Its columns ranged like a martial band 
Of sheeted specters, whom some com- 
mand 
Had called to the last reviewing I 
And the streets of the city were white 

and bare. 
No footfall echoed along the square, 
13ut out of the misty midnight air 
I heard in the distance a trumpet blare. 
And the wandering night-winds seemed 

to bear 
The sound of a far tattooing. 

Then I held my breath in fear and dread. 
For into the square, with a brazen tread. 
There rode a figure whose stately head 
O'erlooked the review that morning. 
It never bowed from its firm-set seat 
When the living column passed its feet. 
Yet now rode stately up the street 
To the phantom's bugle warning, 



Till it readied the Capitol Square and 
wheeled. 

And there in the moonlight stood re- 
vealed 

A well-known form, that in state and 
field 

Had led our pati-iot sires ; 

Whose face was turned to the sleeping 
camp. 

Afar through the river's fog and damp, 

That showed no flicker nor waning 
lauqi. 

Nor wasted bivouac fires. 

And I saw a phantom army come. 
With never a sound of fife or drum, 
But keeping time to a throbbing hum 
Of wailing and lamentation ! 
The martyred heroes of INIalvern Mill, 
Of Gettysburg and Chancellorsville, 
The men whose wasted figures fill 
The patriot gi-aves of the Nation. 
And there came the nameless dead, the 

men 
AVho perished in fever swamp and fen. 
The slowly starved of the prison pen ! 
And, marching beside the others, 
Came the dusky martyrs of Pillow's 

fight, 
With limbs enfranchised and bearing 

bright ; 
I thought — perhaps 'twas the pale moon- 

light- 
They looked as white as their brothei's. 

And so, all night marched the Nation's 

dead, 
With never a banner above them 

spread, 
Nor a badae nor a motto brandished I 



608 



CAMP-FIRE SKETCHES. 



No mark — save the bare, uncovered So all night long swept the strange array, 

head So all night long till the morning gray 

Of the .silent bronze reviewer — I watched for one who had passed away, 

With never an arch save the vaulted With a reverent awe and wonder, 

sky, Till a blue cap waved in tlie lengtlrning 
Witli never a flower save those that line, 

lie And I knew that one who was kin of 
On the distant graves — for love could mine 

buy Had come, and T spake — and lo ! that sign 

No gift that was purer or truer. Awakened me from my bluuiber. 



^ 



=^?'^- 




Built from: thk Ruins. 



C^IIE above is a far simile of a banner painted by a Charleston artist 
^^Za (Alexander) and presented by him to the South Carolina Convention lif- 

^ fore the firing on Fort Sumter. 

The banner is now in the possession of a physician of Boston, Mass. 



-> i * — ° *< ^ '^' 



■ ^ Z < * 



TABLE OF CONTENTS. 



ARTICLES AND CHAF>TI5RS BRIEFLY OUTLINED. 



Reduced Fac Simile Headinf/s. 

♦-♦ 



THE CHRISTIANA RIOT, 

ou 
How the First Gun of the Kebellioii was Fired. 

BY M. G. 9 



ARRIVAL AT THE CAPITAL 

OK THE 

FIRST BODY OF PA. TROOPS. 

An Excited Mob.-TIie First Blood Slied 
North of Fort iSiimter. 

By WiLMAM F. iM'Kay, '25tli I'u. Regiment. 12 



6th MASS. REGIMENT 

Passing TlirouglT^ Baltimore. 

A Furious Mob Barricades the Streets. 
Marshal Kane Helpless. 

From History of the .VJass. Sixth Kegiment. 16 



riRST BATTLE OF BULL RUN. 

JULV -.'I, 18(il. 

A "Baptism of Fire" and a Desperate Struggle. 
How Jackson got the Title of " Stonewall." 



By JlAJOR William M. Robbins, 
Fouitli Alabama Kegiment. 



18 



(POEM.) 

BY THE CA.MP=KIRE:. 

By i\Jks. S. 1). IIOBAKT. 2i 



A PRESENTIMENT OF DEATH. 

C. Ji. Babbitt, Springlield, Jlass. 



News at the Capital from Bull Run. 

How Mr. Lincoln and His Cabinet 
Received the Defeat. 

By WILLIAM B. WILSON. 24 



ARMY TEAMSTERS. 



KINDNESS NOT FORGOTTEN. 

ftlaj. Burke and the 6th Mass. Regiment. 26 



AN ANECDOTE OF "JEB." STUART. 

liy CiEKEUAL LONGSTKKET. 26 

(noc 



The First Iron-Clad Ram. 

An Attempt to Raise the Blockade at New Orleans, 
1861.— Brother Against Brother in Arms. 

By .1. R. Eggleston. 27 



( poem.) 

ALLATOONA. 29 

WHAT A BATTLE IS. 

The Calm, the Cannonade, the Charge, the Victory. 

By a Battle-Scarred Veteran. 30 



LEE'S DISLOYALTY. 



S2 



Thrilling Experience of a Union Scout. 

Captured on the Stoneman Raid.— Threat- 
ened as a Spy.— Attempts to Escape. 

John C. Hall, Belt, Jlicli. :« 



CARVED HISOWN HEADBOARD. 

Singular Death of a Sergeant-Major. 
By Oliver Kdvvauds, Brevet Maj.-Gen., U.S.A. 35 



( poem.) 

ON QUARD. 36 

CAPTURED OURSELVES. 36 



GENERALS FOSTER AND HILL 

At Washington, N. C. 



Recollections of an Army Nurse. 

JJks. J1..M C. RlCHABUS. 37 



COMPLETELY UNNERVED, -lo 



SHERIDAN'S OPINION OF GRANT. 40 



CAPTURED BY A GIRL. 

A Confederate who Talked Love to the Wrong 
Person and was Punished. 



Corporal Tickeh, ot Mo. 



GIO CONTENTS. 

AT OETTYSBURG. 41 



BATTLE OF PEA RIDGE. 

JliU-ch 7, 18C2. 

A TERRIFIC STRUGGLE FOR VICTORY. 

By One Who Was There. 42 



THE HEROIC McCOOK FAMILY 

Of Ohio. 45 



JUST LIKE LINCOLN. 

A T»volve-DolJar Telegram and the Answer It 
Brought. — November, 1864. 

Thos. J. Stevens. 1st Sevgt., Co. B, ]22d 111. 

Inf. Vols. 46 



SEXTON BROWN AND NATHANIEL P. 

BANKS. 48 



IN EIGHTY-SIX BATTLES. 



BUTLER "BOTTLED UB." 48 



SCENES AT SHILOH. 

April 7, 1SIV2. 

The Seiond Day's Fight.— Greatest Battle Ever 
Before Fought on This Continent. 



By Ai.EXANDKR S. .Johnston K, 
First Sergeant, Co. H, U. S. Artillery. 



49 



BATTLE SCENES AT SHILOH. 

April 6, 7, 1862. 

A Day of Sonthern Success, Followed by a Day 

of Disaster. — How General Johnston Pell. — 

Beauregard's Appearance Among the 

Yellow Jackets. 

By B. F. Sawyek, Colonel 24111 Alabama Regt. 52 



2d Corps' Last Battle Under Hancock. 5.5 



GENERAL BUTLER AND THE (UNION) 
SCHOOL BOYS. 5( 



The Benefits of the Civil War. 

Kelated by General Grant. 56 



JACKSON ON THE MARCH. 

Augnst, 18G2. 

A Three-Days' Ride with " Stonewall."— How 
He Was Cheered in Pantomime. 

By Dr. AV. Hldgin. 57 

A Silent Tribute to General Grant. 

"Jack" Adams, Sergt.-of-Arms, State House, 

Boston. 59 



Most Terrific Battle of the War. 



UNION PAPER IN SECEDED STATES. 59 



4 iiT'Tll--SElESlD) VETERAl?. 

FORTY-EIGHT WOUNDS AT GETTISBIRG! 

By General Black, Pension Commissioner. uo 



HOWLD UP, YEZ SCOUNDRELS' 61 



SHOOTING "PROVOST GUARDS" 

AT NE\A^-BERNE, N. C. 

W. P. Derbv, 27th JIass. 62 



lot laffliffigh f Ptes foi? the ©ieeis, 02 



A Lively Confederate Routing at Mission- 
ary Ridge. 62 



liaaiag forts laekstjn; anj St„ Ihllliji. 

April 24, 1862. 

The Enemy's Blazing Fire-Raft Matched by Farragut. 

GEN. B. F. BVTLER. 63 



Origin of the Confederate Battle-Flag-. 

By General Joe Johnston. 66 



MORE WHERE THAT CAME FROM. C6 



PCQKiT Lmm UKQMmMES. 66 



SAVED THE ARN4Y. 66 



ANECDOTES OF LOGAN. 

General Stone. 67 



YfflingesI Qiia^ral if tie Ccrnfedjef atg Army. 

67 

FARRAGUT'S ORIGINALITY. 67 



SI KLEGG ON DRILL. 

Work with the Awkward Squad of Company Q. 
Painful Tribulations. 68 



SQWTHmWS^ €l!"S'BEKQT, '1 



GENERAI. CUSTER'S FARE- 
WELL ORDER. 72 



BOT.T> teach: PHOVOSITION. 72 



CONTENTS. 



Gli 



( POEM.) 

MENCING THE DLD FLil&, 

Will C'aklf.ton. 73 



Confederate General Turner Led His Men at 
the Mine Explosion. 73 



IMPORTANT CAVALRY FIGHT. 



Eesalketioas of Ssi. Caster at Wiseheskr-. 

Sept. 19, 18C4. 

A Lively Fight in ivhich Hundreds of Brave Men 

Fell.— Inspiring Charge of Five Magnificent 

Brigades. 

By One Who Was There. 74 



(POEM.) 

THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 77 



(poem.) 

March to the Battle-Field. 

Written just before tlie liiittle of Nashville by (lEO. H. 
Williams, Co. H, 5th Iowa (Javahy. 77 



Buttermilk with his Soup. 

Uy General Sheridan. 78 



DON'T JUDGE HASTILY. 

General J. L. Chamberlain of Maine. 78 



GRANT'S ANXIOUS PERIOD. 78 



SLIGHTLY MISTAKEN. 

How the News of Lee's Surrender was Keceived 
in a Confederate Battery. 79 



(POEM.) 

MEMORIES OF THE WAR. 

By Kate ISrownlee Sherwood. 



Etenifil EMOifj d a> (SGinn,i,etieit, f laf . si 



THE 33d NEW YORK, 

And ItsCallant Behavior at the Battle of Will- 
iamsburg.— A Brave Charge. 
May 5, 1S62. 

Benj. Mepham, Corp. Co. B, 33d X.Y. S.V.I. 82 



A FIGHTING BATTERY. 



PRESS AND PEOPLID. 

By General Grant. 84 



SHOT BY A COMRADE. 
How a Desperately Wounded Soldier was Put 
Out of Misery. 85 



OLD WAR LETTERS FOUND. 85 



LIFE IN THE TRENCHES. 

Twelve Hundred Dollars for a Barrel of Flovir. 
— Slabs of Corn Bread. 

By K. ('. IlRAGONlER. 86 



General Grant and the Pickets. 

Related by the General in his Jlemoirs. 89 



GENERAL TERRY AMONG HIS FRIENDS. 89 



TORPEDO EXPLOSION. 

The Terrible Cost of Inexcusable Carelessness. 
By W. 1'. Derby, 27th JIass. 90 



BMILl OF 14IQYEE C0,UET--E0,III1, 

Jlay 27, 1862. 

Hot Work of the IStli New York Volunteers.— 
Enemy's Wild Firing.— Federals' Victory. 

.1. S. S., 13th >'. Y.V.I. 91 



A WAR ROMANCE. 



94 



(poem.) 

The Blue, the Cray, and Grant. 94 



DRAWING LOTS FOR DEATH. 

Captain Sawyer's Perilous Situation. 95 



Grant Was JResjiotisible. 

A Time When Secretary Stanton Wanted to 
Raise Somebody's Scalp. '.'7 



A JtEADT ANSWER. 97 

GALLANT CONDUCT. 97 



MOTHER BICKERDIKE. 

ONE OF THE GRANDEST WOMEN OF THE WAR. 

By P.EN.i. WoonwARD. Surg. 22d 111. 98 



(;i;3 



CONTENTS. 



liTTll OF MIR OAKS,, 

And the BeliaTiorof the Eighty-Fifth New York 
in that Bijody Contest, May 31, imi. 

K. R. .ST1L1.MAN, 85tli N.Y. Vet. Volunteers. 101 



(i'OEM.) 

The 15th Veteran Corps. 

.J. Ward (hii-us. 103 



CASEY'S DIVISION. 

Its Gallant Behavior at the Battle of Fair Oaks, 

May 31, ISIJi.-IIard Fighting on Both Sides. 

— General Hooker's Cool Charge Forcing 

the Enemy to Retreat. 

Geo. II. .Johnston, A..V.G., Naglee'.s Brigade. 104 



A Houseful of Northern Generals. 

THE SILENT MAN. 
Belated by a Virginia Clergyman. 107 



FEEDING AN ARMY. 

STARTLING QUANTIT ES OF FOOD CONSUMED! 

HaNUY C. IJwiGHT, Coiiiniissary 2d Division, 

18tli Corps. 108 



GAINES" NIILL. 



POPULAR GOVERNMENT. 



112 



(POEM.) 

THK BATTLE=KIvAGS. 

JIosKS G. Owen, Bath, Me. • 113 



4 SiST f IBB0 m f IE WESIGt fill. 

NOBODY DID IT. 
FIRST INTRODUCTION TO GENERAL SHERMAN. 
By Gen. Geo. V. JIcGinnis. 114 



A Surgical Wonder. 

The Only Man on IJecord who has Seen His Own 
Liver. 

By Dr. HrNTF.R !Mci;riRE, Cliief Surgeon on 

"Stonewall" Jatkson'.s .Staff. 116 



"JOHNNY SHILOH." 

( .lOilN I,. Cl.l'.JI.I 

THE DRUMMER-BOY OF CHICKAMAUGA. 
Wonderful Career of a Ten-Year-Old Boy. IIT 



First War Meeting at Galena, III. 

PRESIDED OVER BY GRANT. 
Related by his Townsman and Neighbor, E. B. Wash- 
BLRN. 119 



BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 

SeplHiiiber 17, 1SB2. 
A CRITICAL MOMENT FOR THE CONFEDERATEo. 

By General Longstreet. 120 



SHERIDAN'S FOX HUNT. 

ADAM BADEAU. 1?1 



THE BATTLE OF ANTIETAM. 

The Fearless Hooker.— Biirnside and the Ninth 

Corps Immortalized. — Sumner Invincible. 

— McCIellan Hesitates. 

By Rev. TiiEo. Geukish, 201h JIaine. 122 



LEE TROUBLED BY MEADE. 12t 



CHEAPEST VICTORY. 



The Artillery Duel at Antietani, 

September 17, 1862. 

II. li. Bowles, Company C, 6th Jl.aine. 125 



Night on the Field of Freder- 
icksburg. 

Gen. J. L. Ciiambeklmn. LL.O., Ex-President 

Bowdoin College, Maine. 12'! 



f he last Eight, at Fredericksburf , 

General J. L. Chamberlain, LL.I>., Ex-I'resident of 
Bowdoin College. 131 



GREATEST LOSS. 



PLUCK AT STOXE lilVEIi. 



135 



LIFE AT CHATTANOOGA 

DURING THE SIEGE. — FUN IN CAMP. 

B. S Batchelor, Co. 1, 2d .Minnesota. 136 



Great Tiirniiig'-Point. 

John E. Cooke (Confederate). 



137 



FISHING UP TORPEDOES 

PLANTED BY THE REBELS IN RED RIVER. 

Fearful Explosion which Hurled the Picker-Up 
Two Hundred Feet ! 

By S. E. K, 18J 



CONTENTS. 



A PREMONITIOlf. 

K1LIjI:D at SAVAGIJ'S STATION. 

S. C. Gallup, 3d Vermont. 139 



Battle of luka and Corinth. 

September 21, IbUi. 

How Rosecrans Met the Confederates.— A Storm 
of Cannon Balls and Bullets. 

By r. C. Ferguson, Lieut. Co. I, 43a Ohio. 140 



(POEM.) 

LOOKOUT N40UNXAIN. 

B. K. Taylok. 142 



GENERAL HANCOCK'S HUMOR. 



BATTLE OF CORINTH. 

The Assault on Port Kobinet, October 
3 au«l 4, 18G3. 

A esd Oliio JI ail's Keeollections. 143 



(POEM.) 

SOLDIER'S DEATH-BED HYMN 

Blis. Dannie I. JIiller. 145 



GEO. F. Williams. 146 



A FIGHTING CHAPLAIN. 

Experience at the Battle of South Mountain, 

Fierce Mortar Duels. 

By Rev. (jeorge G. Smith. Cliuplain in the 

Philhps Georgia Legion. 



THE ANGLE. 



147 



149 



A WORD FROM GEN. PORTER. 



149 



The Blackwater Naval Contest. 

September 27, 1862. 

A Brave and Daring Act of the Gallant Com- 
mander, C. W. Flusser. 
By W. P. Derbi-, 27th Mass. 150 



(POEM.) 

A SOLDIER'S GRAVE. 

loNE L. Jones. 151 



My Escape from the Rebels.— Tales 

of Prison-Pen and Stockade. 

HOW COLUMBIA. S. C. CAME TO BE BURNED. 

TWENTY DATS WITH SHERMAN'S 

"BUMMERS." 

Capt. Ira B. Sampson, 2(1 Mass. Heavy Artillery, 152 



BAND OF HEROES. 



G13 

156 



Gif If 11 Qf WilKSE'g iiieilg. 

December, 1862. 
HOW IT WAS DONE.-A GREAT SURPRISE. 

By W. r. Derby, 27th Mass. 157 



( POEM.) 

AMERICA'S ANSWER. 

n. Bernard Carpenter. 



158 



Greatest Number of Battles. 



Oaptire of Fart liniirtanj Arkansas f ssi 

A Desperate Artillery Duel.— Brilliant Success 
for the Federal Army.— Jan. 11, 1863. 

John W. Fry, Co. II, 42ci Oliio. 159 



UNION PRESERVED. 161 



FIRST CHECK DBAWN. 161 



The Battle of Irish Bend. 

Up the Teche with Gen. Banks.— Sharp Fight- 
ing, with Sundry Personal Episodes of 
tlie Campaign. — April 1-t, 1863. 

Prof. H. M. Whitney, Beloit, Wis., Sergeant-Major 
52d JMass. Volunteers. 162 



WHAT WAS IT.? 

A WONDERFUL MYSTERY UNEXPLAINED. 

By Capt. J. W. Denny, 25th Jlass. 164 



(poem.) 

A Comrade's Mother's Song. 



A Tornado of Shot and Shell.— G.illant Scenes 

of Heroism.— Living- Walls Sink Beneath the 

Terrible Fire.— A Desperate Struggle. 

— A Grand Victory. 

May 3, 1863. 

H. H. Bowles, Company C, 6th Regiment Maine 

Volunteers. 166 



( poem.) 

OUR BRAVES. 

By Col. Chas. Clarke. 



Gli 



CONTENTS. 



BATTLE OF RAYMOND, 

51 ay 12, 1863. 

IIow (Sregg's Brigade Fought the Advance of 

Grant's Army in Dlississippi. 

i;y William E. Cunningham, Captain Company F, 
41st Tennessee. 170 



IN THE WILDERNESS. 172 



A. FiE]VIA.RK:.A^BLE RECORD. 



By Rev. John F. Moors, 52d Massaclnisetts Regt. 173 



A Surgeon's First and Last Sight 
of a Beautiful Silken Banner. 

A BRAVE LOVKR BURIED WITH THE FLAG 
UPON HIS BREAST.-July 4, 1863. 

Dr. II. L. Russell, .Surgeon Alabama Regiment. 175 



( POEM.) 

DECORATION DAY. ns 

LIBBY'S BRIGHT SIDE. 

A Silver Lining in the Darli Cloud of Prison 

Life.— A Reduced Fac-Siniile Handbill of a 

Famous Christmas Entertainment. — 

Pastimes and Amusements. 

By Frank E. JIoran, Capt. 73d X.Y. Volmiteers. 179 



BATTLE OF VICKSBURG. 

Way 22, 18G3. 

Heroic Charge of the First Brigade.— Minie, 

Grape, Canister, and Shell. — A Scorching 

Sheet of Flame. 

C. D JIoRRis, Company E, 33d Illinois. 187 



H. H. Bowles, Company C, 6th Maine. 189 



THE PLYMOUTH PILGRIMS. 

HOW THEY \A;'ERE CAPTURED, 

April 20, 186A. 

Robert V. Black Company E, 103 P.V.V. (riymonth 
I'ilgrim). 190 



(POEM.) 

GENERAL LOGAN. 

By Chaplain F. Denison, rrovidenee, R. I. 193 



At Plains Store and Port Hudson. — How It 

Feels to he Struck by a Bullet.— The 49th 

JIassacIiusetts and Its Brave Deeds 

in Louisiana.— May 27. 1863. 

By Col. Samuel 15. .Sumner, 49th Mass. Vols. 194 



TOSf ilFilS 111 141 111, IQflll 



Battle of Brandy Station. 

June 8, 1863. 

The Famous Cavalry Engagement.— Blade to 
Blade.— Steel Touches Steel. 

William F. JIoyer, Sei'gt. Company D, 1st B.V.C, 
Logansville, I'enn. 197 



(poem.) 

FELL FOR HIS COUNTRY, 

DIRGE FOR ONE WHO FELL IN BATTLE. 

By T. W. I'AR.soN8. 200 



BRAGG IN KENTUCKY. 
INCIDENTS OF HIS MARCH THROUGH THE STATE. 

By E. B. Ranpolph. 201 



ARMING SLAVES. 



202 



FIRST CONFEDERATE KILLED. 

202 

Battle of Champion Hills, 

June, 1S(;3. 
GENERAIv LOGAN'S ADVICE 

J. B. Harhis, 34th Indiana. 203 



EgtgEall Iggaa at Fecfe Bsaikeii. 203 



BATTLE AT FORT BUTLER, 

June 28, 1863. 
A LIVELY LITTLE BATTLE IN LOUISIANA. 

H. S. Archer, Sergt. Co. H, 28lh Jlaine. 204 



By Rev. Henry Ward Beecher. 205 

LIBBY PRISON'S TUNNEL. 

How Sixty-One Union Soldiers Escaped from the Fa- 
mous Dungeon.— Thrilling Narrative by an Officer. 
Trying Experiences of Unfortunate Fugitives. 

Frank E. Moran, Captain Co. H, 73d X.Y. Vols. 206 



CONTENTS. 



G15 



Three Days at Gettysburg. 

July 1,2, 3, 181)3. 

The Hills Bock and Tremble under the Terrible 

Tuniuit.— The Air Full of Hissing, Whizzing 

Missiles of Death. 

By Chas. E. TiioijTMAN, Lieutenant Company G, 
l'2tli New Jersey liegiiuent. 217 



GRANDEST CHARGE 



FUN ON PICKET POST. 

By a Lewiston (Jle.) JI ember of the G.A.R. 221 



Will iiEsiAW if iif f isiiie, 

July 3, 1863. 

A DESPERATE CONTEST. — fOXFEDEKATES 
WIN A.ND LOSE LITTLE UOUND TOP. 

By W. T. Shvmate. 222 



( POEM.) 

VLRTC DAHLGBEN. 

ATRIBUTE TO A BRAVE OFFICER 

By Rev. Chas. AV. Denison. 224 



Third Day at Gettysburg. 

General Pickett's Brave Charge and Bepulse, 
July 3, 1863. 

William JIiller Owen, Colonel Battalion 

Wasliingtoii Artillery. 225 



(POEM.) 

ALL QUIET ALONG THE POTOMAC 
TO-NIGHT. 228 



GRANT'S WORDS. 

Quotations from His Speeches and Conversa- 
tions. — His Opinions of Generals and Great 
Events. — The Man's Common Sense 
and Modesty Illustrated. 

Xhirty-Eiglit Paragraphs. 229 



(poem.) 

Ttie Advance Guard. 

^ By John Hat. 233 



MgMs aai Slaiows cf the iaMli=f kli.. 

SOLDIERS UNDER FmE. 

By a Veteran. 234 



Most Important Event of the V^/ar. 235 



GRANT'S BEST BATTLE 235 



The Fight at Shepherdstown. 

July 16, 1863. 
Hot Shots and Strong Sluelling. 
By N. D. Pkeston, Capt. 10th N.Y. Cavalry. 236 



FIRST CONFEDERATE SOLDIER KILLED AT 
GETTISBUBG. 1^38 



Oarl Schurz the First Cavalry Colonel. 238 



FIRST BALLOONS IN WAR. 



FIRST SOLDIERS' ORPHAN SCHOOL 



f W0 iliSSlM ES Qf WlSf 1011? 

Meet in Deadly Combat. — Fitzhugh Lee's 
Little Joke on Colonel Tannant. 

By a Stuff Officer. 239 



Cahawba Prison, Alabama. 

A Long Experience of Cruelty and Hardship.— 

1,960 Hungry, Ragged Skeletons Plunged 

Into Hot Water, Steam, and Fire. 

H. C. Aldrich. 241 



Assault on Fort Wagner. 

Famous Charge of the .54th Massachusetts (Col- 
ored) Regiment, July, 1863. 

Capt. L. F. Emilio. 244 



THREE TIMES FIRST. 



248 



FIRST GUN A.T SHILOH. 248 



WITH CUSTER, 

AT TELLOW TAVERN. AND IN THE RAID 
ABOUND RICHMOND. 

L. E. Tripp, 1st Sergeant 5th Michigan. 249 



IDicf^sburg Dailp Citt3en. 

Reduced fac-simile of the last issue, printed by Union 
soldiers after capturing the city, 1862. 



(poem.) 

CHICKAMAUQA. 

Written in commemoration of the desperate charge of 
the 1st Ky. BrigadP, by Dr. J. M. Ltdings, 

in Chattanooga Prison, 1864. 252 



61G 



CONTENTS. 



Ninety Dollars "Worth of Comfort, 

ETC., ETC. 
I>y a Meuibei- of the 27th JIassachnsetts, 253 



Battle of Chickamauga, 

Septeiiil)ei- 20, 18U3. 

ACCOUNT OF GEN. STEEDMAN'S GALLANTRY 
ON THE BLOODY FIELD. 

J. W. Dove, Capt. Co. U, 115th 111. V. I. 254 



IIFI m 111 lOlIf 01. 

A Seaman's Story of the Figrht with the Meiri- 

mac— Lively Experieiicfs inside the Famous 

'•I'heese-Boxoii a Halt."— JIoMtlio Great 

Disaster off Cape Hatteras Occurred. 

Sami:el Lewi.s (alias I'eter TEr.SKiTT). 257 



Battle of Loohout 3Iountaiu, 

Nov. 24, 18G3. 

Told, by a Confederate Cornir~nar-i- 
der (Wilson's Brigade). 

J. Cooper Nesbit. 262 



BORN IN A BATTLE. 

Little "Shell Anna.*' July. 18(>4.— Gen. Logan 

Becomes (iodfather.— A True Story that 

is Strauger than Fiction. 

By a Member of the 15th Corps. 264 

Battle of Missionary Ridge, 

November 25, 1SG3. 

A Gallant Regiment Won the Federal Victory. 
A Grand Charge. 

P.y Lieut. W. M. Boroughs, Co. E, 24th Ala. Regt. 208 



The First Western President. 270 



First Tennessee Union Infnntry. 



SHARPSHOOTER KILDEE. 

•Iuhn' West (ahas Kildee). 

Thrilling Reminiscences of the Confederacy's 

Best Rifleman.— The Man >vho Shot Gens. 

Banks and Shields, and Scores of Other 

Officers and Privates. 

Related by Iliiuself. 271 



Gt, a» i?e MQ^&^. 



274 



First Breecli-Loadins" Rifles. 274 



A BATTLE IN THE CLOUDS. 

Noveiiiber 25, 1SU3. 

Hooker's Capture of Lookout Mountain— Fight- 
ing on Mist-Cjvered Heights. 

By Daniel K. IIindley, Colonel 31st Alabama. 275 



YOUNGEST PRISONER AT ANDERSONVILLE. 277 



Corporal Tanner's Unparalleled 
Experience. 278 



HOW IT SEEMS TO KILL A MAN. 

(lenenil Jlamlersou, of Nebraska. 



CONFEDERATE MONEV 

Used to Decorate the Walls. 281 



SIEGE OF KNOXYILLE. 

Attack upon Fort Saunders, Nov. 29.1863.— Deeds 

of Heroism and Bravery Rarely if Ever Surpassed. 

—General Longstreet Compelled to Flee 

for Safety. 

Capt. CHA.S. W. Walton. 282 



FIKST BATTEMY, rOUT GIBSON. 284 



Capturing New Orleans. 284 



Logan's Bravery at Kenesavr. 

Veteran. 285 



FIRST SHOT AT GETTYSBURG. 285 



NIEDALS OK HONOR. 



&I&^S @P rmM^SQM, 285 



iiimisciicis 0:f SSI. ofBicii, 

A. Confederate Captain Shot on 
His Own Doorstep. 

,J. D. Remington, Company I, 73d Illinois. 286 



BUTLER'S COMMAND. 287 



FIRST OFFICER ESCAPED FROM 
LIBBY. 287 



The Fort Pillow Massacre, 

April 12, 1864. 

By the Pilot of the New Era. 



CONTENTS. 



C17 



First Military OrgaDizatioii.'^gi 



First Confederate General Killed. 291 



The Gunboat That Did Great 
Service at Decatur. 

G. Norton, Essex, Vt. 292 



FORAGING. 



An Interesting Trip After Rations in the Heart 
of South Carolina. 
Fkkd Keitz, Coinirany I, 21st Wisconsin. 294 



THE TREE OF DEATH. 

[Atlanta Constitution.] 



A Rebel Colonel's Cruel Disap- 
poin^tnient. 

By W. r. Derby, 27th Jlassaclmsetts. 297 



(POKJI.) 

OUR SOLDIEBS' GRAVES. 

Mary B. Hosmer. 299 



Written just after the war, by .Tohn McIntosh 
("Old Vermont"). 



W. ]*. Derby, 27th Mass. 301 

HOW GRANT SAVED LEE. 

lie Keeps His Word of Honor and Prerents 
Stanton from Ordering an Arrest. 

Colonel Barroll, Quartermaster's Department. 302 



FOJLLJr OF THE NORTH. 



The rirst New York Cavalry's Claim, sos 



ACROSS THE RAPIDAN. 

Hard Fighting in the Wilderness.— Rattle of 
Musketry and Roar of Artillery. 

By Chas. B. Brockway, Captain Battery F, 

1st I'enn. Artillery. 304 



Battle of Spottsylvania. 

The Defense of "The Angle," May 12, 1864.— A 

Heroic Hay's Work by the 4th Brigade, iA 

Division of the 61 h Army Corps, com- 

nuinded by the Writer. 

Gen. Oliver Edwards, of Warsaw, 111., First Colonel 
37tli .Massachusetts. 308 



Jlay 11 and 12, 1S64. 

A Second Angle of Death.- Lee's Conduct Under 
Fire.— Daring Act of a Federal Battery. 

By J. H. JIoore, 7th Tennessee Regiment. 311 



TJie March Toivards Freedom. 



Hancock's Wonderful Charge 

At Spottsylvania, Jlay 12, 1864. 

A Terrible Fire.- Trees IS Inches Through ( iit 
Down by Bullets. oH 



A SINGULAR COINCIDENCE. 315 

Gen. Hunter's Raid up the Shenan- 
doah.— Nevfmarket Avenged. 

Capt. .Sqley, 34th Mass. 310 



(POEM.) 

THE PRISONER'S LAMENT. 

Written by a Jlcnilier of the 5th Ind. Cav., who died 
one month afterwards at Andersonville, tia. 320 



.June 3, 1804. 

1st Brigade, 1st Division, 18th Corps.— The Most 

Heroic and Bloody Act of the War. 

By W. P. Derby, 27th Mass. 321 



Repulse of the Star Brigade 

At Cold Harbor, June 3, 1864. 

By Gen. P. D. Bowles, Commanding the Confederate 
Forces. 325 



(POEM.) 

OLE MARSTER— 'FO' DE WAR. 

By W. P. Carter. 326 



(POEM.) 

BARBARA FRIETCHIE. 

By J. G. WniTTiER. 327 



G18 



CONTENTS. 



Assault on the Star Brigade 

Before Petersburg, June 18, 1864. 

W. P. Dekbt, 27tli Massachusetts Regiment. 328 



HE WANTED TO RALLY. 



A NOVEL SABER. 



330 

330 



(POEM.) 

4a Mswif to " f tig ilii aii tig if-sj," 

Written by a Loyal Lady. 33 



THE BARN CHARGE, 

,Iniif 18,1864. 

A TERRIFIC FIGHT -BRAVERY AND HER- 
OISM OF E. K. DREW. 

S. C. Whitcomb, 1st JIaine Heavy Artillery. 332 



FIRST THREATS OF DISUNION. 



MERRIMAC vs. MONITOR. 

A Midshipman's Acrount of the Battle with the 
" Clheese-Box."— Hon the Confederates Ex- 
pected to Annihilate It iviih One Fell 
Snoop.— Details of the Proposed En- 
gagement.— Why It Failed. 
Lieutenant Littlkpage, Confederate Xav'y. 335 



First Federal Troops iu Sayannali. 



Greatest Raid of the War. 



337 

337 



C41f FQSS FRISOI. TYLER, TEX4S. 

A New York Soldier's Bitter Experience in 
That Prison Pen. 

F. F. COGGIN, 165tli X.Y. Vols. (2d Duryea'sZous.). 338 



MILITARY ABILITY. 

John E. Cooke (Confederate). 



THE BATTLE OF MONOCACY 

Julys, 1S6-1. 

fien. Early Defeated.— A Gallant Shot.— A Hot 

Pursuit. — Leaden Missiles of Destruction Fly 

Thick and Fast.— A M'onderful Escape. 

W. T. McDoroLE, Company K, 126th O.V.I. 341 



First Men Arrested by Order of the War 
Department. 345 



HIGHEST MARINE RANK. 345 



Pirst Colors Planted at Chapin's Farm. 345 



First Vt. Cavalry, Cedar Creek. 345 



A HOT KIGHT. 

Battle of Peach Tree Creek, before Atlanta, 
July 19, 1864. 

MORiTZ TscHOEPE, Company C, 24th Wis, 346 



(POEM.) 



Written by P. Whitnet, 1st JIass. Cavali-y, in Ander- 
sonville I'rison, where he soon after died. 347 



LOGAN AT ATLANTA, 

July 22, 18i;4. 

GENERAL McPHERSON'S DEATH.-"WILL 
YOU HOLD THIS LINE WITH ME?" 

By A. O. S. 348 



The 14tli Corps' Credit. 349 



First Union Officer Killed in the War. 

349 

11411 0if (3411411 6LEII, 

Followed by that of his Servant Mat, who died 
from Wrief at His Loss. 

By E. T. B. Glenn. 350 



BEST FOUGHT BATTLE OF THE WAR. 350 



Maryland's Brave and Noble Step. 350 



THE GREAT MINE ADVENTUIE. 

TUNNELING UNDER A REBEL FORT ! 

By a Jlember of the 48th Penn. Tnf. Vols. 343 



Ihe mh mt§ at Ihg FaMle ef Pali Iffl, 

July 21 and 22, 1864. 

Hot Firing at Short Ransre.— Stars and Stripes 

Captured and Retaken by Hand-to-Hand 

Fighting. 

W. S. Atbes, Company A, 78th O.V.V. I. 351 



AN UNFORTUNATE VICTIM. 



First Confederate Arrested for Treason. 

352 



CONTENTS. 



G19 



President Lincoln and Hiram Walbridge. 



First Confederate Gun at Bull Run. 



(POEM.) 

Ky .r. W. Temple, Victoria, 111. 353 



WOMEN IN THE WAR. 

Iiivaliinlile Sfivices in the Time of Need.— Woni- 

an'!> Help in tlie Home, the Hospital, and 

Upon the Battle-Field. 

Mrs. Helen N. rACKAito. 355 



THE COLONEL AND THE SOLDIER. 
Ellas Hone and the Assistant Paymaster. 

(From the St. Paul Dispatch.) 35£ 



Grant's Eiclimond Campaign. 360 



Ficst Cakrs ©tip Geirt laase, 4Waita. 



Line of Battle near Richmond. 360 



Thomas C. Fletcher, the Youngest 

"War GoYornor. 360 



TQEiiaf m TIE IMMY. 

September, 1S64. 

His Jollity in Camp and Daring in Fight. 

Getting even with Sheridan.— Woodstock and Win- 
chester. The Surprise at Cedar Creek neatly 
prevented. 

By JOHN DANBY, 

Coles's Maryland Battalion, attached to Sheridan's 
Cavalry Corps. 361 



( POEM.) 

THE BLUE AND THE GRAY. 

Francis JI. Finch's tender poem of union. 368 



eilERlls FllilETOI'S BI4T1. 

Peareful Close of the Stirring Career of the 
Defender of Vicksbiirg. 369 



A FIERCE DUEL FOR LIFE. 

Desperate \aTal Contest on Albemarle Sound. 

18(M. 
By W. P. DKRBY, 27tli Mass. 371 



SHERIDAN'S NOTED RIDE. 

Septpnilier la, 1S64. 

The Surprise and Stampede.— A Battle Lost and 
Won Again. — The ( avalry Leader's Appear- 
ance and How He Turned the Tide. 

By William F. JIackat, 5th Cavalry Division. 373 



" 376 

General Buford's Credit at Gettysburg. 



WIQ SlBf SOTSWilL IMKSOi? 

By Maj. .\lesander W. Selfridge, 46th Penn. Rest. 

377 

GALLANTRY OF GENERAL GROVER'S 
DIVISION. liVJ 



First Federal Troops Raised in Tennessee. 



First and Only Female Mustered Into 

Service. 379 



l. f. f . loert, FiirsI Cgnledifais 02ieep 

379 



BATTLE OF ALLATOONA. 

October 5, 1864. 

Sherman's Burning Words : " Hold the Fort.' 

General Corse tells General French he is 

ready for the " Unnecessary Effusion of 

Blood " at any time. 

J.J. Whitney, M. D., Assistant Surgeon, 18th Wis. 



(POEM.) 

THE SENTRY'S CHALLENGE. 

[These verses are part of a long poem written by Cnpt. 
J. Lee Knight, and read at tlie Topeka Celebration 
of General Grant's Birthday.] 3S3 



WAR CORRESPONDENTS. 

How they fared, how they worked, and what 
they suffered. 

By WILLIAM M. KUNKEL, 
1st Lieut. Battery H, 3d Penn. Artilleiy. 384 



AN INTERESTING WAR RFLIC. 

From the Rome Sentinel, Ga. 



SHERMAN AND JOHNSON. 337 



G20 CONTENTS 

Col. Jackson's Grand Cavalry Charge. 



THE BATTLE OF RESACA. 

October 12, 1SC4. 

A Thousand Jets of Flame Blend into Roaring 
Artillery. 

By C. E. Centon, 150th New York Kegt. 388 



The ^ars anil Stripes Over Savannah. 



KENTUCKY BRIGADE. 391 



A ROMANCE OF THE WAR. 

A Tragedy at Gettysburg, Followed, after 
Many Years, by a Wedding. 392 



A Soldier's Presence of Mind. 



Battle of Osage, after a Thrilling Charge. 

October 24. 18(;4. 
J. P. MONAHAN. 394 



Shooting of LongfelloTv's Son. 

A Bullet I'asses Tbrougli his lioily, Piercing his Lung. 

One of War's Strange Happenings in the Jline 

Run Campaign. 

BY WARREN WALTERS. 396 

FIRST SHOT IN VIRGINIA. 397 



Rapid Firing at Cedar Creek. 



DEATH OF JOHN A. PLATT. 397 



ilSTlIGIIJI 0F 111 ML.ME&BM. 

October, 1864. 
The Most Daring Naval Exploit of the War. 

W. 1'. DERBY, 27th Mass. 398 



SAVED BY GRANGER'S CORPS. 



Jeff. Davis Nominated. 399 



WAR'S HUMOROUS SIDE. 

A Whole Train of Soldiers Attacked by a Tipsy 
Colonel.— Ludicrous Stampede. 

BY W. SCOTT. 400 



(POEM.) 

iVlENlORIAIv. 

CEN. ULYSSES S. GRANT. 

Born 27lh April, 1822. Died 23tlJ lily, 1885. 402 



111 ilTltl §F IQEl Fliail. 

December 25, 1864. 
A Scene Never Before Equaled in Naval Warfare. 

By JOSEPH C. CANNING. 403 



A GRAND RECORD. 



404 



5th 



New York at Autietain. 

404 



SilllSil iSillST E^f 4ET. 

1S64. 
Raid of the Federal t'avalry Corps from the 
Rappahannock to tlie James.— Custer's 
Charge at Vellow Tavern.— Gen- 
eral Stuart's Death ivithiu 
Earshot of Ridimond. 

By Beevet Lielt.-Col.Theo.W. Bean, C.C. A. of P. 
405 

(rOEM.) 

THE SOLDIER'S LAST WORD. 

By Park Benjamin. 41i 



FORREST'S MEMPHIS RAID. 

1864. 

A Brilliant Sunday Morning Surprise Party.— 

Thousands of Soutliern Citizens Rush to 

the Protection of Federal Guns.— Scenes 

of Demoralization Cnparalleled 

During the War. 

By A. W. Pearson, Paymaster U. S. Steamship Red 
Clover, jiiss. Squadron. 412 



A Flag with a History. 



First Passenger Train Captured. 415 



CAPTURING A SPY. 

By " OLD REGAN." 



ARMY LIFE IN WASHINGTON 

At the Time of President Lincoln's Assassination. 

April, 1864. 
How the Capital Received the News of Rich- 
mond's Surrender.— Booth's Terrible Crime 
and the Execution of the Assassins. 
Final Grand Review of the Boys in Blue. 
Maj. H. M. Brswster, 57th Regt. New York Vols. 



CONTENTS. 



021 



&, Elispse of Steniwall d'aeksaa. 

Colonel SUiiinaiil, 9th Vt. 421 



SECOND BATTLE OF FORT FISHER, 
.lamiary 13, 15. ^st•,:,. 
A day ever to be remembered by Federals and 
Confederates. -i22 



TROOPER FEE'S GHOST. 

A Humorous and Strange Incident from the 
Note Book of a Veteran. 

Hy John Heiiigartner, Sergt. 2d New Jersey Cavalry. 
423 

A DEATH-WOUND THAT DID NOT KILL, 



(POEM.) 

The Countersign -was "Mary." 

By JIaigaret Eylinge. 425 



WILD'S AFRICAN BRIGADE." 425 



SENATOR CONNESS AND GRANT. 

425 

Siege of Petersburg. 

February 26, 1865. 
CORPORAL DAVE'S LAST SHOT. 

J. P. WARD. 426 



Startling News froin New Orleans. 



First Colored Oflacer to Fall. 



428 
428 



HONOR TO THE 65th N. Y. 



428 



(POEM.) 

lORRIS ISLAND MEMORIES. 

By II. T. Veck, Company .\, 10th Conn. Vols. 429 



HELD AT BAY. 



429 



FIRST THREE YEARS' REGIMENT. 

429 

JEFF DAVIS'S CAPTURE. 

The Ex- President's Version of the Affair. 
Denial of the Female Disguise Story. 430 



BRITISH INTERFERENCE. 431 



First Vessel Captured by Confederates. 

431 

STONEWALL'S SCABBARD. 

An Interest ill!; Iiicitlent of the Period when 
General Jackson was Unknown to Faiue. 

By .lOHN TAYLOR. 432 



First Fraternity Between Foes. 



irilllanit Cavalry EJiarp at GitlysMrg 

433 

Gladstone and Our RebeHion. 433 



THE SIXTH CORF'S. 

THE APPOMATTOX CAMPAIGN. 

JIari'h 25 to April 9, 1SU5. 
LEE'S SURRENDER. 

Capt. J. W. Dixo.N, Lieut. 2il Conn. Heavy Artillery. 

434 

FIRST CORPS AT GETTYSBURG. 



GRANT'S FORESIGHT. 437 



Confederate Honors of War. 437 



(POEM.) 

THE SLEEPING GRAY. 

In Memory of the Confederate Soldiers who 
Fell in the Struggle. 

By Paul H. llayne. 438 



IvEE'S SURRENDER. 

1S65. 
Personal Account by General Grant 439 



(POEM.) 

rvi. D. 



The History of the Alabama. 

By ROS.SITER JOHN.SOX. 



Itreism asi E^lvalry at FrederiekskTf 

Too Brave to be Shot. 444 



Inridents of Generals Lee, Jackson 

And General Wilson's Fannous Horse, "SLASHER." 
Ly JIaj. R. II. Bigger, Hendersonville, N. C. 445 



G22 



CONTENTS. 



OLD ABE. 

The Veteran War Kagle of Wisooiisiii.— The 

Gallant Bird that Braved Many a Battle 

with the 8th Wisconsin Hegt. 

i;y W. C. KIN(i, Springfield, Mass. 446 



SOLDIERS' LETTERS. 

The Army Post Office at Port Royal, S. C— 

Reminiscences of the Civil Service at the 

Front during the War.— How Soldiers' 

Letters and Papers were Mailed 

and Distributed. 

l'.y E. PORl-EK DVEK, Spiingflelil, JIass. 450 



How M'Clellan was Loved. 

.JOHN W. SIAHAN. 45G 



(POEM.) 

THE OLD CANTEEN. 

BY G. M. WIUTK. 45 

Beauregard's Pulse in Battle. 



A Joke in the Thick of Battle. 

458 



THE FIRST CAVALRY FIGHT. 



THE CITIZEN SOLDIER. 

Some of his First Experiences.— Reminiscences 

ot Enlistment Hays. — In lamp at Pittsfleld. 

Incidents of the .Journey to Washington. 

The First liegular Encampment on 

Arlinj^ton Heights.— Going to 

the Front in 186*2. 

JAMES L. BO\VEX,37Ui Mass. 468 



IQl'l Gllll. 

Vivid Battle Pictures and Hand-to- 
Hand Conflict. 

April 6, 18G5. 
C'OL. ARCniBALD Hopkins, 37th Mass. Vols. 459 



CAMP FORD PRISON. 

<'ruelty. Starvation and Exposure Beyond En- 
durance. — Experience of Dana W. King, 

Nashua, N. H. 463 



( POEM.) 

THE RE.XREAT. 465 



1:U @lb lowi, a,i t&s 

APRIE, 1865. 

A Gallant Charge from the Trenches into the 

Enemy's Works. 

By CHAPLAIN HOWARD, 124lh 111. 466 



THE "IMPERIAL." 467 



Confederate Brigade Driven by a 
Single Regiment. 474 



Public Honor to Grant at Mempliis, 18C3. 



4 SeeiVs WandirM Mygntare. 

The Mysterious Letters Tut in a Beech Tree. — 
.. A Treasure Discovered hy the Kindly 
Aid of a Friendless Dog. with a 
Beating for His Pains. 



BY A CONFEDERATE SOLDIER. 



475 



THE SOLDIER'S LAST WORD, 

By I'AUK liEK.JAMIN. 478 



Mmijral fgrtgE's EgminiscenGes. 

Visit of President Lincoln to Richmond. — 
Sharp Dodge to Soothe Southern Feel- 
ings. — Narrow Escape from a 
Grievous Blunder. 

By David D. 1 orter. Admiral V. S. N. 479 



RUNNING THE BATTERIES AT VKKSBIKG, 



487 



First Armed Regiment at Washington. 4k; 



Gen. Phil. Kearney's Honor 



INTERESTING WAR RELIC. 

A Sword Returned to its Owner After Twenty- 
Two Years. -i- s 



GlllSfliS 11 llB:iI FllSQI. 

IN FOUR CHAPTERS. 

A Strange Celebration bv Prisoners of War 

A Banquet Fnder Difficulties and What 

it Cost. — Seeking Santa ( laus 

in Prison Walls. 

By frank a. burr. 



GENERAL B. F. BUTLER ORIG-NATED THE FIRST 
MOVE FOR RAISING VOLUNTEERS. 4!i9 



CONTENTS 

CAVALRY CHARGE AT BULL RUN. ! 



(J2;] 



Com. Vanderbilt's Handsome Gift. 



499 



THE LAST SILK DRESS IN THE CONFEDERACY 
MADE INTO A BALLOON. 409 



(POEM.) 

DRIVING HOME THE COWS. 

A Jteniinlscence of the War in. I'crse. 



500 



iig ISqhi11i?7 aii §st Flag 

Lee's Flight and the Pursuit.— Tlie Grapple at 
Sailor's Creek. — The Surrender at Appo- 
mattox. — In Searcli of Johnston. 

By James L. Bowen, 37th Jlass. 501 



First N. Y. Regt. to the Front. 



First Conflict of tlie War. 510 



A TOWN OF RUINS. 

How Harper's Ferry and its Roniantio Sur- 
roundings Now Look. — Kattle Fields of the 
Valley. — Antietani from Bolivar Heights. 
Eerustown and Cedar Creek. 

By C. H. H. .511 



GRANT PROMOTED THEM. 

SOLDIERS WHO WOULD OBEY EVEN IF 
THEY SHOT THEIR GENERAL. 

By " Soldier Sam." 515 



(POEM.) 

FROIVIOTED. 

FRANK X. SCOTT. 



616 



The Verification of a Dream. 

Xairaterl by I). W. WARE, 
Company H, 10th Vt. Vols. (Springtielil, Mass.) 517 



First Recognition of Colored Troops as Equals 
by the Confederate Army. 518 



First Hussar Regiment, Trenton, N. J. 



SUMNER AND LINCOLN. 518 



Narro-w Escape of a Traitor. 

A Drum Head Court- JIartial that was Held in 
Old Libby. 519 



( POEM.) 

FHE EIGHTH KANSAS. 

CllAl'LAIN J. TAULSC^X. 



Guarcding Davis at Fortress Monroe. 

CHAS. S. TRII'LEU, 12th U. S. Infantiy. 523 



Songs upon tlie Battle Field. 52.") 



fig f lEst to lie faif tls CBafitJeraey. 

The Beardless Boy Who Fell in the Battle ol 
Big Bethel. 

By S. R. WRIGHT. 526 



THE FIRST CONFISCATION ACT. 



An Officer wlio Meant Business. 527 

First Medals of Honor. 527 



LONGEST PONTOON BRIDGE. 



Some Gallant li,@is ol Brave ITen. 

Instances of Heroism wliieh the Gunner's A< t 
at Alexandria Calls Up. !:-j.t< 



GRANT'S SENTENCE UPON LIEUTENANT 
WICKFIELD. 

The Only Joke Ever Known to Iinve been rerpetnite I 
by the DistinKuisheil Author. 5iU 



Parliament Investigation. 530 



A LOYAL CAVALRY OFFICER. 



THE GUN-SHY l^ARRIOR. 

Major Muldoon's Description of the Gun-Shy 

Soldier in Battle. It Isn't Sweet to Die 

for One's Country. The Gun-Shy 

Man's Epitaph. 

By MAJ. H. a. Ml LDOON. 531 



SOLDIER LIKE;. 

Some of its Scenes as Depicted by a Confederate 

Soldier.— Incidents of the March and 

the Battle, by a Man who has 

seen Hard Seryice in tlie 

Confederate Army. 

CARLTOX MCCARTHY, 

Private 2cl Company of Richmond Howitzers, Author 

of " SoUUer Life In the Army of Xorthern Va., 61-5." 

535 

General Sumner and his Son at 
Antietam. 541 



o^vt.^e> 



024 



How Rivers are Bridged for Retreat- 
ing- Annies. 

Winter (Quarters and their I)aii§r?rs. 

How Great Armies are Guarded in Cantonments. 

"VETERAN." 542 

My Father's Uiilfiiowii Grave. 

w. E. P. r)4s 



CONTENTS. 

A MIRACULOUS ESCAPE. 



An Eng'lisli Steamer Captured. 

Slie Had Itiin the Blockade at Charleston Three 

Times. — On Her Kourth Voyage to Help 

the Confederapj'. — A Weil-Laid 

Plan that liidn t Worli. 

(IIV TIIK SECOND MATE ) 549 



HISTORIC MASONIC JEWELS, 

Taken from Fredericksburg Lodge, 1862. 5.")1 



Tliree Asfain.st Tliree Hundred. 

A Thrilling War Story of Defeat Turned into 
Victory. 552 

HUMORS OF THE CAMP. 

fJayety of Some of the Southern Leaders and 

Lig-ht Heartedness of the Troops.— Pen 

Pictures of Lee, Jackson. Kwell, 

Stuart, Beanretrard and otiiers 

knotvn to Fame. 

By J. Esten Cooke, Coiitedei-ate, lloyce, Va. 554 



First Colored Provost Marshal. 572 



First Vessel Tliroug-h the Mississippi. 



(POEM.) 

KEARNEY. 

By E. C. Steilnian. 



President Lincoln's First Pardon. 573 



Tlie 1st W. Va. Cavalry's Trophy. 



Fall of General Morgan, 

THE FAIVIOUS CONFEDERATE CAVALRYMAN. 
A .Narrative of tlie Disaster to tlie Haider's Com- 
mand at (ireenville in 1S64. -Lucy Williams, 
the rnionist.— Braving a Te'rific Storm 
on a Perilous Midniarht Hide.— Her 
Hatred of iWorgan and Her Pas- 
sion for a Handsome 
Federal Officer. 
STIRRING ROMANCE OF THE WAR. 
The Circumstances as noterl tiy a Kentiickian of tlie 
Famous nivision 

By K. JP. Kerris. 574 



A SUCCESSFUL RAID. 



5J<9 



Some Interesting- War Parag-raphs. 

Compiled Irom Towuseud's War Library, N. Y. C. 
590 

RELICS OF ANDERSONVILLE. 

CLARA BARTON AND HER WORK OF 
MERCY, 

By JIis. Fr.unoes I). Cage. 591 



GENERAL GRANT'S RECORD. 

From Birth, to Close of the "War. 

595 

(POEM.) 

COUNT ZOWASKI. 597 



(POEM.) 

THOMAS AT CH ICK AM AUGA. 

By Kate Browklek .'^nEU\V(JOD. 



(POEM.) 

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS. 

.S. M. CaKI'EMEK. 



G(X) 



(POEM.) 

The Drummer Boy of Mission Ridge. 

Nov. 25, 180.3. 
By Kate Bkownlee .Sherwood. col 



HISTORY OF THE STARS AND STRIPES. 



(POEM.) 

The Hero of Rodman's Point. — Ready. 

By riiCEBE Caky. 



(POEM.) 

IVrUSTERED OUT. 

Henry W. Lo.ncfellkw. 



605 



(POK.M.) 

CALIBER FIFTY-FOUR. 

By Will Carlkton. C06 

First Governmerit Loan,'6l. G06 
MISSISSIt-PI BLOCKADi:. 60(5 



(roFM.) 

A Second Review of the Grand Army. 

By Bret Hakte. 



()07 



CONFEDERATE PROPHECY. 



608 



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